Don't judge a book by its cover. Kurt Vile's long-haired hippie appearance may suggest West Coast roots -- even though he's actually a Philadelphian -- but his sound comes straight out of the underbelly of the Big Apple. With a slack-singing style reminiscent of Lou Reed or Alan Vega, and his vocals doused in slap-back reverb, the songs on Childish Prodigy shift between gritty numbers driven by guitar fuzz and steady ballads backed by one-key baritone drones. If this sounds a bit derivative of the Velvets, well, it is and it isn't. Vile and his backing band the Violators are knowledgeable students of the CBGB school of rock, circa Son of Sam, but just when you think you have them pegged as leather-clad street hoodlums on "Freak Train," a shuffling Roland 707 groove topped with a distortion wall and tense yelps ("I've never been so insulted in my whole life! Shit!"), they double back the other way with the mellow, fingerpicked circles of "Blackberry Song." The '70s New York scene makes up a big chunk of this album, but Vile's unique as a visionary with his own sound and a wide range of voices that turn from rambunctious to innocent in a blink. Childish Prodigy is split between drunken caterwauling and quiet hangover-recovery sessions, and both sides of the spectrum are fantastic. The band's spirit is captured perfectly, courtesy of Jeff Zeiglar's open-sounding recording style, and the indie underground rarely seems this fresh and free.
Everything from the first chord of the first song to the “creative name” of the album to the man’s bio, is all attitude. Here’s a synopsis from his bio that succinctly depicts what I mean:There’s a bunch of clowns all over the USA, all around the world, cluttering up the rock ‘n’ roll stage with [...]
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Oh, Kurt Vile. If you read Look at me, I made a blog, follow me on Twitter, or have interacted with me in real life, then it's no surprise to you that I went to his show at Mercury Lounge. Even he knows I'm a big fan. I'd only seen Kurt play with the Violators at showcases like the Northside Festival and Woodsist Festival, so this was the first time I'd seen him as a headliner.Although I tho...
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“Freak Train” is one of the tracks off of Philadelphia musician Kurt Vile’s new album Childish Prodigy (out October 6th via Matador), but it could also be great description of his music as well. You see Kurt Vile’s songs often have this intense “chugga chugga choo choo!” freight train flow to them. Even the softer [...]
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“Freak Train” is one of the tracks off of Philadelphia musician Kurt Vile’s new album Childish Prodigy (out October 6th via Matador), but it could also be great description of his music as well. You see Kurt Vile’s songs often have this intense “chugga chugga choo choo!” freight train flow to them. Even the softer [...]
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Oh, Kurt Vile. If you read Look at me, I made a blog, follow me on Twitter, or have interacted with me in real life, then it's no surprise to you that I went to his show at Mercury Lounge. Even he knows I'm a big fan. I'd only seen Kurt play with the Violators at showcases like the Northside Festival and Woodsist Festival, so this was the first time I'd seen him as a headliner.Although I tho...
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(photo)“Overnight Religion” was a fine first taste of the folkier (albeit plenty weird and murky) side of Kurt Vile’s upcoming Matador debut, Childish Prodigy. Here’s the lurching, stoner rock side to the War On Drugs sideman’s repertoire. Sounds like someone’s been hanging out at the Fun House.MP3 :: HunchbackMP3 :: Overnight Religion(from Childish Prodigy. Pre-order here and get a bo
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Everything from the first chord of the first song to the “creative name” of the album to the man’s bio, is all attitude. Here’s a synopsis from his bio that succinctly depicts what I mean:There’s a bunch of clowns all over the USA, all around the world, cluttering up the rock ‘n’ roll stage with [...]
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Philadelphian Kurt Vile will traverse the Atlantic for a special London show in December.Headlining a Club Uncut night at The Lexington in Islington on Tuesday 15th December, Kurt will be accompanied by his live band The Violators and together they’ll air tracks from his forthcoming album Childish Prodigy (out 6th October). The former War On [...]
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Hope everyone had a killer Labor Day weekend. I know I did [hence, the lack of posts]. This morning, Matador Records posted a new Kurt Vile mp3 from his upcoming album Childish Prodigy [Oct 6th]. "Hunchback" opens the new album with a darkness that we didn't see a few months ago with "Overnight Religion" - a lighter/airy-er jam. Both are shrouded in mystery and lots of reverb.MP3 :: Kurt Vile -
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Being that vocal effects are used across the board, the only surprise here is that Kurt Vile traded in the autotune for the classic 1950's effect known as slap delay. Either way, his voice is drenched in the stuff, slapping off of metal walls as if trapped in a u-haul.Reminds us of: M Ward | The Rolling Stones | The Jesus and Mary ChainKurt Vile: (Official / MySpace)kurt vile childish prodigy
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Though I spent the better part of Tuesday’s Kurt Vile show at Modified lamenting my habitual inability to remember earplugs, I couldn’t help but be pulled in by the lo-fi psych-rock of Vile & the Violators.The songs, mostly from his 2009 LP Childish Prodigy, went from loud to louder – riding a crescendo of feedback [...]
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Tomorrow, the one-and-only Kurt Vile of Philadelphia and Matador Records will be coming to WNYU to play on the New Afternoon Show! I'll be hosting and interviewing Kurt after his set, and it should be a really awesome time, so clear your calendars and tune in! Kurt's third record and Matador debut Childish Prodigy drops this week on Matador. His last record came out on vinyl via Woodsist.This s...
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Rock n roll was built on attitude and this song has it. You almost can hear the sneer through the grime and sludge that hangs over this track and that to me, is what they call, the good stuff. The artist who conjured up this beastie is called, Kurt Vile and he’ll be releasing his new album, Childish Prodigy on Matador Records come Oct. 6th. Until then, listen to a song that aims to coat your.
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Kurt Vile's latest has all these cool aesthetic choices, vocals through a megaphone, slacker vibes, grainy electric guitar theatrics, off-the-cuff cool; but it’s not quite all there for Simon Gurney.
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VILLLLLLLE from Yours Truly on Vimeo.More from Kurt Vile today - the kind folks over at Yours Truly sent along this live footage recorded at a recent San Francisco house party. It features two more songs from his upcoming Matador debut, Childish Prodigy. So that makes 4 songs from the album (again, due out 10/6) including the 2 that are available as free downloads below that have been previousl...
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by relio►This video, for one of the best tracks on Kurt Vile’s Childish Prodigy, is all fast cuts, overlapped footage, live shots, and Kurt singing under a bridge. The imagery is unspecific but the psychedelic effect it has fits the song like a glove. Check out some more of our favorite vids after the jump..►This [...]
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Kurt Vile’s album, Childish Prodigy is full of gems; diamonds of songs he mines from the depths of Americana. The one that keeps on resonating though, listen after listen, is Amplifier.He nonchalantly drops it near the end of his album, long after the melodies of hits like Overnite Religion have washed over you. It steals [...]
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Kurt Vile - He's Alright Not sure why I never posted a Kurt Vile tune before, because his latest album has been blaring from my
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Hunchback |
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| 2 Dead Alive |
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| 3 Overnite Religion |
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| 4 Freak Train |
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| 5 Blackberry Song |
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| 6 Monkey |
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| 7 Heart Attack |
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| 8 Amplifier |
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| 9 Inside Looking Out |
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| 10 He's Alright (Bonus Track) |
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| 11 Goodbye, Freaks (Bonus Track) |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Childish Prodigy")
