Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy
by Andrew Carver
published: 24 / 10 / 2009
Label:
Matador Records
Format: CD
intro
Excellent third album of distorted rock from Philadelphian genius singer-songwriter Kurt Vile, whose seeming amateurish exuberance does not conceal his ability to write a sharp tune
Another genius escapes from the bedroom. Along with lo-fi pop auteurs like Girlfriend, Airel Pink and Jay Reatard, Kurt Vile is recasting the sound of teen-pop melancholy as a fuzz-shrouded Americana that owes as much to classic rockers like Bob Seger and Big Apple poets like Patti Smith as it does to early lo-fi garage mavens like the Oblivians and the Gories. Surrounded by a blanket of buzz, Vile drawls like a lo-fi Tom Petty “floppin’ and flippin’ around like a fish!" in ‘Hunchback’, a poignant song about social disconnection as physical disfigurement. The fingerpicked ‘Dead Alive’ could be a fragile folk song if it weren’t similarly swathed in distorted harmonics or crawling under Vile’s deadpan vocals. ‘Blackberry Ssong’ pulls a similar trick, with its multitracked strings chiming in the front in juxtaposition to the bathroom reverb of Vile’s singing. Meanwhile, on ‘Freak Train’ Vile’s vocal mantras detour into a Stoogean swirl of guitar noise and sax squall (or at least its cheesy keyboard and drum machine equivalent). Wandering sound levels, popping microphones and a general aura of stumbling balladry will probably remind some listeners as a throwback to such private press ancestors as Stone Harbor, while Vile’s songwriting owes more than a little to Iggy Pop’s idiot savant lyricism and the late Jim Carroll’s New York bite. Even the album cover conveys an amateurish exuberance, with out-of-focus photography on the cover and letters crawling out of sync on the back (two songs are left unmentioned entirely). Don’t be fooled though – under the random noise and overdriven amps is a bevy of sharp tunes and cool music.
Track Listing:-
1 Hunchback2 Dead Alive
3 Overnite Religion
4 Freak Train
5 Blackberry Song
6 Monkey
7 Heart Attack
8 Amplifier
9 Inside Looking Out
10 He's Alright
11 Goodbye, Freaks
12 Farfisas In Falltime
Label Links:-
http://www.matadorrecords.com/https://twitter.com/matadorrecords
https://www.facebook.com/MatadorRecords
http://matadorrecords.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/matadorrecs
https://www.instagram.com/matadorrecords/
reviews |
Smoke Ring For My Halo (2011) |
Masterful and addictive fourth album from magnetic Philadelphia-born singer-songwriter, Kurt Vile |
most viewed articles
current edition
The Church - Interview with Steve KilbeySimon Heavisides - Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.
Secret Shine - Interview
Vetchinsky Settings - Interview
Repomen - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Jack Roscoe - Interview
Near Jazz Experience - Interview
Sami Sumner - Interview
Flaming Stars - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Lewis 'Burner' Pugh - Bullets for BreadIan Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction
Inutili - A Love Supreme
Kula Shaker - Natural Magick
Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You
Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Back in Time
My Life Story - Loving You is Killing Me
David Cross Band - Ice Blue Silver Sky
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart