Wilco May Go Indie for Next Album

As they eye their next studio album, it looks like Wilco might go indie for the first time in the band's fifteen-year history. Guitarist Nels Cline made the announcement in a new interview with Express Night Out, where he was asked about the future of the band.

"I think our main task now is to work on new material and a new album," he said, while talking to the publication about the group's upcoming Solid Sound Festival. "And now that we have our own record label, there's going to be funny things to come out."

According to a subsequent confirmation by Pitchfork, Wilco brainchild Jeff Tweedy is no longer aligned with Nonesuch -- the group's Warner Bros. distributed home since the band was dropped by its previous label, Warner imprint Reprise, back in 2001 during the making of 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.' But that story also suggests the band could continue in partnership of some form with a yet-to-be-named record label.

As for Wilco's company name, Jeff Tweedy and the group's longtime manager Tony Margherita have yet to make it public -- Cline claimed not to know it. "Jeff was basically not wanting to be on a record label out on our own," said Cline. "There might be a 7" or something, a little souvenir when we do this [festival]. I'm not sure, really. Basically, Jeff and Tony are the masterminds, so I'm just cruising with what they want to do."

As for the band's next album, Cline said the band will be recording next month and then again in October. "The process of making the next Wilco record is going to be long in terms of the writing and arranging and demoing phase," he said. "I think that phase could go on for a while before the mastering phase. But that said, who knows? I think we'd love to make a really up-tempo alienating record -- I think everyone agrees that would be enjoyable -- but the natural course of music-making kind of precludes that. When things start to take form naturally, you kind of have to honor that. Who knows? There may be ballads. I don't really know, but I do think there is going to be some rocking. You can guarantee a fair quotient at least of some form of rock."