Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Kurt Vile: Life Like This
Vile's previous Wakin on a Pretty Daze captured an audience for its benign tripped-out vibe and although this isn't as strong he should consolidate his fanbase with these slightly ambling, sometimes downbeat songs which also have flashes of humour (check Dust Bunnies) and the accomplished diversity.
Some of these songs are self-indulgent or lyrically shallow: The stoner opener Pretty Pimpin is an extremely unpromising way to start proceedings and the banjo-colored I'm an Outlaw which follows contains a wry comment but is not a great improvement.
He further explores finger-picking folk (the drawling That's Life tho, Stand Inside, All in a Daze Work) and off-kilter ballads (Life Like This).
The weariness here means this won't grip immediately.
Not his finest outing but as he says on Wild Imagination at the very end, which sounds like a demo, “Give it some time”.
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