User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Schmilco
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Schmilco Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

  • Summary: The 10th full-length studio release for the Chicago alt-rock band was recorded during the same sessions for 2015's Star Wars.
Buy Now
Buy on
  • Record Label: Anti-
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Experimental Rock
  • More Details and Credits »

Top Track

If I Ever Was a Child
I've never been alone Long enough to know If I ever was a child I was tied up like a boat On a button like a coat Set free for the wild I'd jump to... See the rest of the song lyrics
See Full Track List »
Powered by

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 26
  3. Negative: 1 out of 26
  1. The A.V. Club
    Sep 9, 2016
    91
    Schmilco is Wilco’s most musically simple and emotionally resonant record in a decade, gorgeously naked and efficient.
  2. Pretty Much Amazing
    Sep 7, 2016
    83
    It’s simply, as mentioned, unpretentious, unassuming, and crucially, good music.
  3. Mojo
    Sep 2, 2016
    80
    Schmilco in particular is best consumed as a contemplative whole. [Oct 2016, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Record Collector
    Sep 13, 2016
    80
    Wilco could have settled into being a comfortable, unchallenging arena-filling rock band, instead they’re knocking out marvels like this every year, constantly defying expectations and embracing change.
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Sep 2, 2016
    75
    Wilco has made a weird little folk record. It not only sounds different than the band's previous album, but slightly out of step with the rest of its discography.
  6. PopMatters
    Sep 12, 2016
    70
    The songs, for the most part, possess more straightforward sonic architecture, and it’s also a much more restrained record.
  7. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 12, 2016
    30
    Schmilco is missing the same spark that drove Schmilsson. Where Nilsson was relentless in pursuit of something other than settling down, Tweedy has gone the other way.

See all 26 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. IvanMejia_
    Sep 9, 2016
    9
    Pretty much awesome! Terribly masterpiece and one of the best of the year, from track one to the last, it's really an impressive album.Pretty much awesome! Terribly masterpiece and one of the best of the year, from track one to the last, it's really an impressive album. Schmilco never disappoints.… Expand
  2. oceanofnoise
    Nov 28, 2019
    8
    Good effort not their best because the songs are either really good or very passable. Songs to add to your playlist:
    Rating 1-5 Normal    Good effort not their best because the songs are either really good or very passable. Songs to add to your playlist:
    Rating 1-5 Normal American kids *****
    Locator ****
    If I Was Ever A Child ****
    Cry All Day ***
    Nope ****
    Someone To Lose ***    … Expand
  4. molecular
    Sep 26, 2016
    8
    A very low key album. Probably won't appeal to new fans. Older fans will appreciate this for its improvement over several listens. A niceA very low key album. Probably won't appeal to new fans. Older fans will appreciate this for its improvement over several listens. A nice companion piece to "Star Wars".… Expand
  5. sratomasfer
    Jan 2, 2017
    8
    Definitely a step up from Star Wars, which I still liked. Wilco explores their melancholy sound more with tracks like If I Ever Was a Child.Definitely a step up from Star Wars, which I still liked. Wilco explores their melancholy sound more with tracks like If I Ever Was a Child. The only time I'm taken out of this record is on Common Sense which has some weird guitar parts that just don't fit with the flow of the record. Overall, a great listen and a great Wilco record.… Expand
  6. frankrog29
    Sep 16, 2016
    7
    Schmilco is similar to other Wilco albums in that it is alternately comforting and disquieting. The album is quiet yet offbeat andSchmilco is similar to other Wilco albums in that it is alternately comforting and disquieting. The album is quiet yet offbeat and unpredictable. The lyrics often address Jeff Tweedy's rebellious youth. The tone is scrappy and restless yet ultimately conciliatory. The mellow, organic, intimate sound makes the album somewhat comforting but, as in other Wilco albums, an undertone of regret makes the album more intriguing and complex. When compared to other Wilco albums, Schmilco's organic sound and the songs' short running times make the album feel slight. However, this is a good album in its own right.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Shared Album of 2016

Current Music Releases

Full List »
99 Band on the Run [50th Anniversary Edition] - Paul McCartney & Wings
95 The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow - Charles Lloyd
92 This Could Be Texas - English Teacher
92 COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé
91 The Carnegie Hall Concert - Alice Coltrane
90 THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT - Taylor Swift
90 1989 (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
90 Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
89 I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy
89 Black Bayou - Robert Finley
89 Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
89 Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend
88 Ozarker - Israel Nash
88 What Now - Brittany Howard
88 Hey Panda - The High Llamas
88 Orquídeas - Kali Uchis
88 The Past Is Still Alive - Hurray for the Riff Raff
87 Filthy Underneath - Nadine Shah
87 i/o - Peter Gabriel
87 Lahai - Sampha
All Current Music »