Smoke Ring for My Halo

by Kurt Vile

Overview

Philly-based singer/songwriter Kurt Vile lit up the indie rock radar in 2009 with his cynical, lo-fi, classic rock-meets-N.Y.C. proto-punk Matador debut. Fans of the visceral, D.I.Y. fuzz-folk that dominated Childish Prodigy may be taken aback by the production upgrade on Smoke Ring for My Halo, but the cleaner sound doesn't mean that the floors aren't still filthy. Channeling everyone from the Dead to Mellow Gold-era Beck to Lou Reed, Vile comes off as malcontent, but there's an oddball warmth behind his laconic sneer that echoes the late slacker comedian Mitch Hedberg; for every "I wanna write my whole life down/burn it there to the ground" ("On Tour"), there's an "If it ain't workin', take a whiz on the world" ("Runner Ups"). Sweeter and a little more soulful than Prodigy, Halo leans harder on the urban folk side of Vile's disposition (the album opens with a straight-up love song), but tracks like the churning "Puppet to the Man" and "Society Is My Friend" pick up where Prodigy stompers like "Freak Train" and "Overnight Religion" left off. Vile's guitar work remains predictably strong, especially on the fingerpicked "Peeping Tomboy" and the shimmery title cut, but it's his efforltess, serpentine melodies and amiable, burnout wisdom that keep the listener so enthralled. In an age where angst is delivered with the subtlety of a laser light show, it's nice to hear some good, old-fashioned, smokin'-and-drinkin'-cheap-beers-on-the-porch-with-your-friends-style pessimism. [The two-disc, deluxe edition of Smoke Ring for My Halo adds six bonus cuts to the set, including "The Creature", "It's Alright", "Life's a Beach", "Laughing Stock", "Downbound Train" and "(so outta reach)". ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	03/08/2011
Label:	Matador
UPC:	0744861093817
Rank:	46473

Tracks

1. Baby's Arms
2. Jesus Fever
3. Puppet to the Man
4. On Tour
5. Society Is My Friend
6. Runner Ups
7. In My Time
8. Peeping Tomboy
9. Smoke Ring for My Halo
10. Ghost Town

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kurt Vile   Primary Artist,Noise,Piano,Guitar,Mellotron,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer,Slide Guitar,Farfisa Organ,Korg Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Synthesizer Organ,Guitar (12 String),Guitar (Resonator)
Steve Shelley   Drums
Meg Baird   Vocals (Background)
Mary Lattimore   Harp
John Agnello   Vibraslap
Lea Cho   Piano,Keyboards
Michael Johnson   Drums
Rob Laakso   Arp 2600,6-String Bass
Rob Laasko   Arp 2600
Adam Granduciel   Bass,Mellotron,Percussion,Lead Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Tremolo),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jesse Trbovich   Guitar,Slide Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Jesse Turbo   Bass,Guitar,Slide Guitar,Guitar Feedback,Guitar (Electric)
Mike Polizze   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Mike Zanghi   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Ted Young   Assistant Engineer
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Bruce Springsteen   Composer
Matt Boynton   Mixing
John Agnello   Mixing,Engineer,Overdubs,Producer
Jonathan Low   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Zeigler   Engineer
Shawn Brackbill   Photography
Rob Laakso   Mixing
Kurt Vile   Composer,Producer,Sequencers
Rob Laasko   Mixing
Adam Granduciel   Composer
The Violators   Producer
Michael Ast   Photography
Reynold Jaffe   Management