Weekly Release Spotlight: Kurt Vile

Posted on 11/09/2009

Kurt Vile

Childish Prodigy

[Matador]

With his long hair, down-home sound and ever-present plaid shirt, Kurt Vile seems like he could easily be a transplant from the 1970s era of American FM rock. But Vile is a thoroughly modern troubadour. Where Springsteen and Petty have made livings delving into the factories, the dive bars and the psyche of middle America in an attempt to be the voice of Everyman, Vile is content just to play some rock 'n roll songs about hunchbacks and picking blackberries. If you like them, that’s great. If not, well, that’s cool too.

The Phildelphia-based singer and guitarist is also a contributing member of The War on Drugs and has released other solo albums, but largely flew under the radar until his 2008 album, The Constant Hitmaker. That record and his self-released 2009 Hunchback EP only further validated Vile as a familiar, yet innovative, songwriter. His first full-length for Matador, Childish Prodigy ranges from low-fi bedroom ballads (“Blackberry Song,” “Amplifier”) to bittersweet, Big Star-esque pop (“Monkey”) to psych-rock jams (“Freak Train” and “Hunchback” – a much grittier version than the one that appears on the EP).

Artists like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young might be easy reference points to describe Vile’s music, but it would insult his inventiveness to leave it at that. His music encompasses not only the '70s FM rock sound, but the luster of someone who's listened to a lot of My Bloody Valentine, the intimacy of someone who is just as OK recording in a bedroom as he is in a studio, and the relevance of someone who has lived a life similar to yours. The long hair, the jangly guitar and the plaid shirts might still be there, but Vile is reinventing the idea of the blue-collar troubadour.

Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.