Philadelphia indie mainstay Kurt Vile is synonymous with psychedelic guitar rock, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that he opens his new album, ‘(watch my moves)’ with the piano-driven, tenor sax-accented (from James Stewart of Sun Ra Arkestra) ‘Goin on a Plane Today’. (Stewart also plays on “Like Exploding Stones.”) That trick kicks off an absolutely stacked album, with 14 original tracks plus a completely unique cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Wages of Sin’. One wonders what the Boss might think to hear this deep cut played this way.
Vile is a strong, if singular songwriter, with a gift for pairing lyrics and melodies in unusual ways. This is apparent in the second track, ‘Flyin (like a fast train)’, where the “crash and burn” imagery contrasts arrestingly with the slow pace and mellow vibe of the music. There’s something discordant here that really catches the attention. Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, Harry Styles) adds drums and percussion to that track, as well as the Americana-tinged ‘Hey Like A Child’. Sonically and lyrically, there are similarities to The War On Drugs, with whom Vile was associated early in their respective careers, in the lengthy ‘Like Exploding Stones’.
While I wouldn’t call Vile Americana by any stretch of the term, he definitely has his folk and country influences. ‘Palace of OKV in Reverse’ contains what may be a nod to Waylon Jennings with the phrase “dreamin’ dreams;” in the press materials for this album, Kurt spoke about he views his OKV Central studio as a parallel to Waylon’s Hillbilly Central. There’s a bit of folky twang in ‘Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)’.
The diversity of sounds on this album is greatly enhanced by the variety of Vile’s collaborators. ‘Chazzy Don’t Mind’, a salute to Walla-Walla noise-pop band Chastity, includes contributions from its members. Avant-pop singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon provides vocals and piano to jangly, but eerie ‘Jesus On A Wire’. The track also features as drums and percussion from Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint, Courtney Barnett). Kurt’s regular backing band, The Violators, appears on several, although not all, of the tracks on the album (including ‘Wages of Sin’, ‘Cool Water’ and ‘Like Exploding Stones’).
This being Kurt Vile, the guitar work, is of course, exceptional. The production work blends it capably into a psychedelic stew with the other instrumentation, be it piano, sax, synths, to an effect that is laidback but compelling. Even when Vile takes on the charged songs of Springsteen, he’s never in a hurry, and he never gets worked up. He moves at a pace and in a style he’s comfortable with, and it works well for him. Kurt’s been at this for a while now, and he’s more than a found a groove.
This is trippy stuff, but it’s also fun, smart, and engaging. It probably appeals to a certain crowd who are inclined to more experimental and left-field approaches music; while there are touchstones in more roots-oriented music, they’re at the periphery of what he’s doing here. If you’re game, though this is some very good stuff. And you if you’re someone who enjoys psychedelic rock, well then, you’re absolutely going to love this album.
Track list: 1. Goin’ on a Plane Today 2. Flyin’ (like a fast train) 3. Palace of OKV in Reverse 4. Like Exploding Stones 5. Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone) 6. Hey Like a Child 7. Jesus on a Wire 8. Fo Sho 9. Cool Water 10. Chazzy Don’t Mind 11. (shiny things) 12. Say the Word 13. Wages of Sin 14. Kurt Runner 15. Stuffed Leopard Record label: Verve Records Release date: 15th April 2022 Buy ‘(watch my moves)’ now
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