Review: Kurt Vile – b’lieve i’m goin down…

Kurt Vile
b’lieve i’m goin down…

Matador
Street: 09.25
Kurt Vile = Deerhunter + Tom Petty + Lotus Plaza

This album marks the sixth release from the ever-introspective country boy Kurt Vile, and, as usual, Vile demands nothing less from the listener than complete patience and attention. Well, OK, he wouldn’t say it like that, but listening to Vile always feels somewhat akin to hanging out with him on the porch as he lets his thoughts pour over the sound of him finger-picking unresolved chords. It’s intimate and thoughtful. The themes in this record stay in the expected realm of Vile’s preferred subject matter: dissociation, alienation, longing and self-efficacy as expressed through woodsy/stoner colloquial language. I’m all about it. Tracks to check out: “Pretty Pimpin,” “That’s Life, tho (almost hate to say)” and the Tennis-esque change-up, “Lost my Head there.” –Nic Smith