Thursday, February 28, 2013

Singer-Songwriter Kurt Vile Digs Up His Roots

By Eli Zeger


Go back in time to about the early seventies, when singer-songwriters like Carole King ("It's Too Late"), James Taylor ("You've Got A Friend"), and Cat Stevens ("Wild World") ruled the airwaves and sales charts with songs about peace and friendship.

Now go 40 years into the future, where songs about partying in the club dominate mainstream radio 24/7 and singer-songwriters that embrace the pure coffee house experience are tough to find on air.

However , our generation's versions of Carole King, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens do exist. One artist who shows incredible potential and is worth checking out is Kurt Vile.

It is true that well-known artists like Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz, and Adele are technically singer-songwriters, but the productions of their songs are too majestic and the lyrics are too grand to be remotely comparable to the intimate style of the coffee house. Kurt Vile is more reminiscent of Carole King, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens with his smaller productions and simple, down to earth words.

Kurt Vile is a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, PA. He started writing and releasing music from the time he was 17. Since then, four albums have been released. Vile's chilled-out sound - which is composed of him on vocals with an acoustic guitar, a drummer, and two reverberated electric guitar players - has been compared to the likes of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. Kurt Vile gained the most critical praise with his fourth album "Smoke Ring for My Halo", which received positive reviews from Rolling Stone and Spin.

Kurt's music is an excellent accompaniment for relaxing activities, like folding laundry, sipping warm tea, or hanging with good friends. Some tracks I suggest include "In My Time", "Runner-Ups", "Freeway", and "Freak Train".

Kurt Vile's 5th and newest album entitled "Wakin ' on a Pretty Daze" will be available April 5th on Matador Records.




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