Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo (CD)

Celebration time kids. It's time for a new Kurt Vile rekkid! Upping the ante significantly since his last outing on Matador ('Childish Prodigy') 'Smoke Ring For My Halo' is chocker with instantly enjoyable material. This is only my second spin of the LP and I already feel very much at home with the music presented here. Vile's sound brings to mind so many artists (some of which are mentioned in the press release and some not) whilst somehow maintaining an stylistic independence that should see him hailed as one of the great indie rock songwriters of our time. He's got that 'too kool for school' vocal delivery that merges the lyrical wit of Dylan with the loose drawl of Tom Petty and the emotional poignancy of say Leonard Cohen. Unlike previous LPs 'Smoke Ring...' is predominantly laid back material that oozes the kinda confidence you'd expect from an artist ten years his senior. It's also worth noting that his guitar playing is exceptional throughout. Tracks like the atmospheric 'Baby's Arm', the lushly produced 'Runner Ups' and the almost 80s Fleetwood Mac-style 'Society Is My Friend' will no doubt see Vile placed up there with the greats. He's like Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen or one of them fellers. Amazing.