live: Kurt Vile tomorrow @ Silent Barn

"Bigger Than A Humpback Whale"
(photo by c89)
By now there shouldn't be much need to talk up Kurt Vile from Philly, but I'll do it anyway, as he's back in Brooklyn this weekend for another show with Gary War at the Silent Barn. (Ok, technically it's Queens, but whatever.) At this point its obvious to anyone paying attention that Vile's got some Ryan Adams strength prolific-ness in his blood, as if songs ooze out of him, all sludgy and hypnotic, in some preternatural way. Considering all the mediocre, highly conceptual indie rock and breakneck fuzz, it's scary that Vile is able to consistently deliver such seemingly carefree records, blending the American bar folk of Tom Petty with the mesmerizing noize of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. While God Is Saying This To You and Constant Hitmaker have been garnering most of the buzz, his Kurt Vile & the Violator's release, The Hunchback EP, is as good, if not better than his folk leanings, proving that Vile really knows how to let loose. If Constant Hitmaker is the sound of a Sunday drive through a canyon, then The Hunchback is that same drive on PCP while being chased by amphetamine fueled Hells Angels and Cops looking to bust some heads; paranoid, intoxicating full-throttle stoner rock of the finest sort. Only question is when will Vile roundup the Violator's and take them on the road.

Kurt Vile & the Violators- The Hunchback

mp3: Kurt Vile

"Before They Walk Away"
(photo by yapsnaps)
Kurt Vile makes drowsy folk with synthetic accents reminiscent of waking up in the middle of the night in a NyQuil haze, Christmas lights blurry in your foggy eyes. That in mind, it makes perfect sense that Vile is a friend and collaborator of fellow Philadelphian Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs, who lends his talent to Vile's project, playing such luminary instruments as "memory man gtrs, take-the-edge-off effects and sweet loops." (Vile also plays on The War on Drug's phenomenal Wagonwheel Blues.) One listen to Vile's weary folk, which at points feels not so far away from Mexican Summer label mate and Dylan acolyte The Tallest Man on Earth, while also channeling the bedroom stoner folk Lou Barlow churned out in the 90's with Sebadoh, and it's clear he knows his psychedelic American music history quite well. Mexican Summer will release Kurt Vile's God Is Saying This to You, a collection of "tracks from Overnite KV, a tour-only CDR made in conjunction with a European tour of Kurt's other project (The War on Drugs), along with a handful of extra tracks recorded specifically for this release", on 12" vinyl in March. I'd go ahead and pre-order here while the gettings good.

WFMU is hosting a few cuts Vile laid down in Jersey City this summer, here.

Raven Sings The Blues has a few choice cuts from Vile's recent tour-only ep, here.

Kurt Vile- Breathing Away
Kurt Vile- Slow Talkers

review: The War on Drugs

Three weeks ago at the Bishop Allen show I picked up a vinyl copy of The War On Drugs debut LP Wagonwheel Blues. In the weeks prior to the show, the Barrel of Batteries EP had been getting quite alot of attention from my iTunes. I was psyched for Bishop Allen, but I really couldn't wait to see The War On Drugs. Unfortunately I only caught the last 3 or 4 songs, which were all good, although they seemed a bit distant and their stage presence left alot to be desired. Luckily they had their album for sale, wayyy ahead of time (and only on vinyl!).

Wagonwheel Blues, as the title suggests, is a uniquely American record. No, The War On Drugs do not sound like a Roots or Americana act, but their sound is still intrinsically American. Filtered through 40+ years of American rock and roll, Wagonwheel Blues touches on everything from the landscape poetry of Dylan and the suburban angst of Springsteen to the fuzzed out, feed back ringing distortion of Sonic Youth and the bedroom psych experiments of the E6 collective.

Wagonwheel Blues is a storyteller record linked with sludgy melodic sonic transitions that often feel like when your head gets spacey and your body loopy from smoking too much weed and not sleeping enough...or you've been drinking for 72 hours and your mind is swaying while you try to pass out and not vomit. It's enjoyable for existing in the fog between chemical euphoria and a full on sonic coma. Which is essentially what all rock and roll records are supposed to feel like, right?

The War On Drugs- Taking The Farm

we saw: Bishop Allen

"I met a kid in Brooklyn and he pointed at the sky / he had liquor on his breath and he had fire in his eye"
From the first day I listened to Bishop Allen I decided I HAD to see them live. Problem was I was living in Charleston, SC and was very very poor. Another problem was that Bishop Allen tours are infrequent at best. So when they announced in January they'd be playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg, I saved the date and hit up Ticketbastard at 10:00am (you would have thought I was trying to get tickets to Phish or The Boss). The show did eventually sell out, although not until the last minute.

With my expectations teetering on psychopathic I decided to settle my nerves with booze. Luckily, Bishop Allen took the stage before my "settling" got out of hand. After the first guitar notes I had relaxed. I was there. Finally seeing Bishop Allen. My only complaint was they didn't play long enough.

Empire City
The Monitor
Like Castanets
The Light of the Lost
Quarter to Three
Middle Management
Rain
Choose Again
The News from Your Bed
Click Click Click Click
Busted Heart
Flight 180
The Same Fire

ENCORE:
Butterfly Nets
Friday Out of My Mind [new song; tentative title]
Things Are What You Make of Them

To listen to a simulated setlist from the show click HERE

To listen to a Muxtape made up of the best of the EP Project click HERE
("Central Booking" goes out to JRGiles)

tonight: Bishop Allen & The War On Drugs

"Digging For Diamonds"

We've had these tickets for a while but it was only recently that excellent Philly group, and recent Secretly Canadian signee's, The War On Drugs were added to Bishop Allen's neighborhood show. If you've yet to hear The War On Drugs, you can download the Barrel of Batteries EP for FREE at Secretly Canadian's site (click here!). The excellent EP is composed of a few "Dylan-y" songs, as well as some inebriating atmospheric tracks (highly rec'd). SC is also giving away "Taking The Farm" from The War On Drugs forthcoming Wagonwheel Blues (out 6/19), which has been getting a lot of repeat listens on my iTunes. And, of course, Bishop Allen is playing too! Tickets are still available, so come enjoy this rainy May Friday with Bobka, Bishop Allen and The War On Drugs.

The War On Drugs- Taking The Farm


Bishop Allen "Click, Click, Click" (as seen on Sony commercial)