This weekend I picked up Kurt Vile’s new record, Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador).
I think this has the potential to be one of the best albums of the year. It’s, quite simply, a devastatingly beautiful record.
Kurt Vile has come a long way since his debut full-length, Constant Hitmaker. I don’t mean to suggest Constant Hitmaker wasn’t a great record because it was and I still love it. Rather, it’s to underline that with his songwriting and musicianship he has graduated from ‘suggests potential’ to ‘consistently exemplifies brilliance’.
What I like most about this record is that it sounds incredible.
While many fans appreciate and celebrate Vile’s solitary, lo-fi recording aesthetic on Constant Hitmaker and Childish Prodigy, I think it serves, at times, to obfuscate his prodigious talents as a musician.
On Smoke Ring Vile embraces better production and, improving on what he started with Childish Prodigy, utilizes his band, the Violators, to help flesh out his songs, expand structure and add depth to the music. Much of the earlier reliance on effects pedals and guitar loops has also been replaced by more complex and sophisticated yet often more subtle picking arrangements. The end result is a fuller and sonically lush record.
The improved production also helps to better showcase Vile’s fascinating, often dark lyrics, making for a more intimate listening experience. As Vile’s orientation tends to be reflective rather than declarative this allows for interesting insights into a thoughtful, occasionally troubled mind. Ultimately, bringing the vocals into the fore, as opposed to burying them behind a mesmerizing guitar, draws in and holds the attention of the listener more than hypnotic guitar loops ever could.
Interestingly enough though, it’s difficult to identify a standout track on Smoke Ring. To be sure, this is not because there are no outstanding songs. On the contrary, it’s because this is such a cohesive record.
If pushed, I’d say that “Baby’s Arms”, “On Tour”, “In My Time” and the title track are the best songs but I’d worry about them losing something in the translation into individual songs isolated from the others.
Smoke Ring For My Halo is a record best enjoyed from start to finish with no interruptions.
Pressing Quality
Once again, Matador has proven its commitment to high quality, sonically satisfying vinyl. My pressing is very quiet, flat as a pancake and sounds fantastic.
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