Wilco has just announced a physical vinyl release of their album Cruel Country out in January 2023. Wilco’s twelfth album, which has been hailed as “an immensely rich 21-track, roughly 80-minute deep dive into America that is a raw and engaging take on our tumultuous times” by Associated Press, will soon be available as a two-disc LP and in 2XCD formats early 2023 on January 20th. As the band’s first wholly country album, Cruel Country is comprised almost entirely of live takes, with just a handful of overdubs, utilizing “a style of recording that forces a band to surrender control and learn to trust each other, along with each others’ imperfections, musical and otherwise,” according to lead singer Tweedy. 

An album that takes listeners through a rough linear progression of American history, Tweedy claims that Cruel Country “is an album that doesn’t shy away from troubles, and there’s no denying that we’re still living in a very troubled time” living in modern-day America.  Country music is simply designed to aim squarely at the low-hanging fruit of the truth. If someone can sing it, and it’s given a voice… well, then it becomes very hard not to see. We’re looking at it. It’s a cruel country, and it’s also beautiful. Love it or leave it. Or if you can’t love it, maybe you’ve already left.”

According to Nina Corcoran of Pitchfork, “the 2xLP gatefold package for Cruel Country created by Grammy-winning designer Lawrence Azerrad, features a panel of postcards, band photos, and more. Red and white vinyl LPs limited to 5,000 copies will also be available in independent record stores.” 

To celebrate the news of Cruel Country’s rerelease, originally released only a few months ago on May 27, Wilco has also shared a music video for the song “A Lifetime to Find” featured on this same album. This clip features the members of Wilco interacting with mythical creatures and paranormal characters while vacationing at a log cabin, with one member even sharing a beer with a living marionette. 

Tracklist:

1. “I Am My Mother”
2. “Cruel Country”
3. “Hints”
4. “Ambulance”
5. “The Empty Condor”
6. “Tonight’s the Day”
7. “All Across the World”
8. “Darkness Is Cheap”
9. “Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull”
10. “Tired of Taking It Out on You”
11. “The Universe”

Disc two
1. “Many Worlds”
2. “Hearts Hard to Find”
3. “Falling Apart (Right Now)”
4. “Please Be Wrong”
5. “Story to Tell”
6. “A Lifetime to Find”
7. “Country Song Upside Down”
8. “Mystery Binds”
9. “Sad Kind of Way”
10. “The Plains”

See members of Grateful Dead and Wilco team up on each other’s classic songs at Supergroup Philco’s live debut.

Wilco also just performed at the first annual BeachLife Ranch Festival this past September with The Lumineers, Daryl Hall & John Oates, and many other artists.

 Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried