Kurt Vile, of War On Drugs and previous solo efforts, just released my favorite album from his catalog (I’m sure he’s over the moon in reading this). Smoke Ring For My Halo is cleaner than previous efforts and the album as a whole seems more cohesive. Vile hasn’t radically changed his style, but the subtle changes strike a chord with me. Stripping away some of the haze to clearly hear his guitar and vocals has yielded positive results.
The album contains a blend of rockers and folk-inspired numbers. One of my favorites from the folksy side is “On Tour.” In addition to its easy going-vibe, it contains great lyrics with my favorite lines falling at the two minute mark:
I want to write my whole life down
Write it down and burn it down to the ground
I want to sing at the top of my lungs
For fun, scream annoyingly
cause that’s just me
Being Me, Being Free
Another great verse, a little later on:
I want to beat on the drums so hard
til it bleeds blood
Pull out the heart til it don’t start again
Don’t sleep on the jangly and bouncy “Jesus Fever” and the anthemic “Puppet To The Man.” It’s on these fuller numbers where the more polished production allows the texture of the songs to shine through. Backing band, The Violators, also sound great as they bring Vile’s songs to life.
Everything from the first chord of the first song to the “creative name” of the album to the man’s bio, is all attitude.‚ ‚ Here’s a synopsis from his bio that succinctly depicts what I mean:
There’s a bunch of clowns all over the USA, all around the world, cluttering up the rock ‘n’ roll stage with studied talent and recycled tunes.
It goes on to proclaim that he, by contrast, is the real deal.‚ ‚ So there you go. Might turn some people off, but essentially he’s making a personal case for his own authenticity, which is obviously hard territory in which to debate.
Childish Prodigy was released by Matador on October 6th and represents the second album from Philadelphia guitarist/vocalist Kurt Vile. Kurt is backed by The Violators (2/3 of War on Drugs, the band with whom he used to play).‚ ‚ The album is another in the long line of recent lo fi mid-tempo rock recipes, however this comes with a psychedelic twist.‚ The vocals have a submerged echoing resonance while the melody is drenched in reverb.‚ These characteristics are prominently displayed immediately on the pounding first track, “Hunchback.”‚ The melody is mostly a simplistic three-chord structure and the vocals seem part Jarvis Cocker mixed with the venomous lyrical wit of Paul Westerberg.
At times this album haunts, at times it rocks, but regardless it’s going to sound familiar if you’re a fan of War on Drugs.‚ There are some healthy departures, like the fantastic “Blackberry Song,” which pairs some simple, and yet wonderful, guitar picking with really strong vocals.‚ It’s a track that will quickly make you fan of this guy, even if there’s a trace of pretension in his outward appearance.
