Kurt Vile “Constant Hitmaker”
After reading lots of positive words about the solo material from the War on Drugs singer Kurt Vile recently, I became interested in checking out his previous work; namely his well received 2008 odds and ends album Constant Hitmaker. The disc features polished yet aesthetically rough around the edges lo-fi fuzz pop songs that range from haunted folk dirges to full on psychedelic explosions. The two songs that grabbed my attention most were the jangly “Freeway” and the subdued “Slow Talkers.” While “Freeway” relies on reverb-saturated electric guitar lines and is a more upbeat number, “Slow Talkers” is a finger picked mind-fuck that seems to constantly be on the verge of collapsing into itself. The two songs are examples of the great talent Vile possesses and they show how varied and engaging the 41 minute album can be. The reason for all the attention on the young Vile is that he has recently signed to Matador (and they are really excited) and will be releasing his next LP, Childish Prodigy, sometime later this year.
