Kurt Vile: “Jesus Fever”
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Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile has quietly released a number of intimate, lo-fi folk albums over the past few years, but they don’t hold a candle to this year’s Smoke Ring For My Halo. The record finds Vile not only increasing his overall fidelity, but also his skills as a songwriter.
Smoke Ring is Vile’s second LP for Matador Records, and it was produced by the famed John Agnello, who’s manned the boards for such alternative luminaries as Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. There’s a bit of both of these bands in Vile’s sound–with his group the Violators providing the backing, Vile will let loose with his uniquely ragged guitar playing. But it’s the album’s quieter moments that impress even more, when Vile dials back the distortion to put his deft fingerpicking and deep voice front and center. One early highlight is “Jesus Fever,” a breezy, folk-rock tune that’s perfect for springtime driving with the windows down. And today, we offer it up to you as our song of the day.
–Art Levy
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