Just like certain actor-director combinations almost guarantee a good film, there are a small number of musicians whose albums you won’t ever have to worry about being sub-par. Kurt Vile is one: he has released five solo albums of tip top indie rock and folk since emerging in 2008. The 35 year-old Philadelphian’s problem, then, is maintaining the almost impossibly high standard he has set for himself, but it’s a task he sets about with typically laidback ease on this solid 12-track effort.
While no wheels are reinvented or new ground broken, the warm and hazy embrace of Vile’s gently rolling indie-Americana is as welcoming as ever. First single Pretty Pimpin is just that, while I’m an Outlaw is banjo-pickin’ good. Vile’s melancholia is never far off, and it raises its heavy eyelids first in That’s Life, Tho (Almost Hate to Say), in which he sings of “taking pills to take the edge off”, while the equally downbeat All in a Daze Work features the obligatory day/daze pun long-time fans will recognise.
A perennially underrated guitar player, Vile is more often praised for the high standard of his songs and indie-stoner vibe, but there’s magic in these licks that demands respect. Six albums in and Kurt Vile is still somewhat of a cult figure. Can we keep him that way, please?
BY PAUL MCBRIDE
