Much of what one reads about Kurt Vile in reviews concerns the term \u201cstoner rock,\u201d \u201clow-key,\u201d \u201cfolk,\u201d and \u201cintrospective\u201d and so forth, and such descriptions are necessary for music writing but hardly tell the whole story. In some cases, they can paint a picture before you\u2019ve even heard a note, which does a disservice to an artist\u2019s rich vision and complex personality.<\/p>\n
There are elements of Vile\u2019s sixth record that are low-key and folk, to be sure, matched with a healthy dose of idiosyncracy and late-night guitar noodling. Pressed to describe this album in an early interview, Vile described it as a darker, more introspective affair written in those late-night hours after everyone has gone to bed. There\u2019s really nothing \u201cstoner\u201d about it except perhaps the tempo, which doesn\u2019t differ from many other folk-rock acts of the last, say, 50 years.<\/p>\n
In fact, Vile\u2019s songs develop a kinetic chemistry that unfolds over repeated plays. Each song hums with intensity and personality, the sonic details emerging underneath the relatable, quietly witty lyrics. There\u2019s a little more banjo and piano and less electric guitar, which will give this hipster\/Starbucks appeal, but there\u2019s not a moment where Vile is indulgent or anything less than honest.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a toss-up whether \u201cDust Bunnies\u201d or \u201cPretty Pimpin\u2019\u201d is the better song; the latter is rightly receiving some radio airplay and is likely how many who don\u2019t know Vile yet will be exposed, while the former is a folk-country-rock hybrid with its own grace that manages to be both pulse-racing and melancholy.<\/p>\n
The evocative, emotional acoustics of \u201cThat\u2019s Life, tho\u201d and \u201cWheelhouse\u201d evoke both late nights and far-off deserts; these songs appear in the center of the record and are a combined 13 minutes, but it\u2019s tough not to feel Vile\u2019s magnetic pull, like you\u2019re in the room with him. Granted, pulling off a song like \u201cWheelhouse\u201d live would be tricky, simply because of how the subtle keyboard washes, the fingerpicked guitar riff, and the general dreamy atmosphere are only possible in a studio, and because it would rob the song of its impact.<\/p>\n
Vile\u2019s approach recalls other emotional and darkly funny solo troubadours like Leonard Cohen, \u201870s era Dylan, and Nick Drake, but his songwriting is definitely modern, even if it sounds like little else on the radio. I can\u2019t recall a song with such a simple ascending piano riff, John McLaughlin-style guitar, and mumbled spoken\/sung verses, but \u201cLife Like This\u201d has all of those things and manages to be both jaunty and dimly lit. \u201cStand Inside\u201d returns to lovely acoustic guitar picking, recalling Jose Gonzalez\u2019s superb Veneer <\/i>album in its closeness and authority. <\/p>\n
Immediate, warm, and thoughtful, Kurt Vile\u2019s sixth record is worth seeking out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":32770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[9839],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-44541","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-kurt-vile","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=44541"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=44541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}