Kurt Vile
“I came across some girl, she was a tomboy and I was a peeping Tom more that it seems…”
Like a fourteen year-old at summer camp, we fell deeply in love with a handful of albums last year. Our love for certain albums lasted a day or so before slinking away, some lasted a week or two before we decided it was not gonna work out and dumped them, however, a select few still find themselves still spinning so frequently, it’s like our summer romance will never end.
Kurt Vile’s Smoke Ring For My Halo went toe-to-toe with our favourites and we find ourselves hard pressed not to give it the number one spot - it really is that good. Fuck it, We are just going to come out and say it; of all the records that hit the shelves this year, Kurt Vile translated his melancholic two-cents onto a spinning disc better than anyone else. There, we said it. It was our favourite album bar none.
There is a lot to be said about creating a timeless record. That should be every musicians aim right? Smoke Ring For My Halo is as timeless as they come; it prescribes a glorious sheen on almost every scenario you could possibly hope to find yourself in. What did we love most about the record? Well, the effortless strings, the timeless melodies, the lazy nonchalance are classic Vile mainstays; the lyric 'I came across some girl, she was a tomboy and I was a peeping Tom more that it seems’, and the outro track (shell blues) all deserve special mentions. That outro might be the finest one minute of music we will ever hear. Having left Philadelphia indie-rock outfit The War On Drugs in 2008 (Vile and the band still regularly collaborate, especially when performing live) to go solo, Vile was snapped up by Matador Records and after the critical success of his debut solo release on Matador 'Childish Prodigy’ it became clear that Vile’s time in-and-around the underground were numbered. Smoke Ring For My Halo looks set to push Kurt Vile into an exclusive club, an executive lounge of some description, alongside the other finest singer/songwriters making music. We caught up with Kurt Vile to discuss the past, his triumphant year, and (of course) the future…
You released our favourite album of the year. What effect has ‘SRFMH’ had on your career?
It’s had a really good effect actually on myself, my wife, the band and my manager. Obviously being able to tour a lot more, more festival offers and stuff like that. It’s all getting really good. We used to be able to tour but the guarantee is better. Getting more money to play, getting to play all these festivals that you’ve always wanted to play. It’s amazing how much money they throw. It’s not a million or anything like that but for us it’s all definitely, yeah.
What is Philadelphia saying at this time of the year?
Well it’s winter but it’s a weird winter. A global-warming winter. I keep forgetting what month it is, (pause) It’s February. It should be like super freezing. It snowed the other day but it was really warm. It’s good in our house though, we just got this Couch from this second hand store and, er, (Laughs) we’re chilling.
Are you looking forward to getting back on the road?
I am looking forward to it. The other day I was doing a couple of solo gigs here and before I went on for the last one I didn’t even know what I wanted to play, I was just kind of like “Why am I here?” I didn’t even want to write a set list and my brother asked “Are you stoked about going to Europe” and I was like “No” because I didn’t feel very musical. But then I went on the stage and totally reversed my set list last minute and had a really good show and we have been rehearsing ever since. It’s funny, I just feel very musical again. I usually feel musical but for a split second…
What does an average day look like in the life of Kurt Vile?
Well it really depends, but just being a dad and these days just a lot of hanging out with my family, I read lots, I play guitar, and I’ve got a new acoustic guitar. A Dobro Guitar. Mainly just reading a lot of books sitting on ‘the’ Couch.
Let’s talk Matador Records. How has the new deal changed your music making?
Well, I don’t think it has changed my approach to how I make music except for the fact that I definitely had an awesome experience working with John. He‘s like one of my best friends now and I know I’m going to do the next record with him. Music always evolves, you know? Depending on what you want to do, it could go into really weird, strange stuff or it could go into you know? Commercial stuff.
How do you usually go about writing a song?
I just pick up the guitar without even thinking about it, I’m never like “oh, I’m going to write a song”. I just start jamming some chords and something cool comes out. Still sometimes now I’m a little bit slow with it mentally like I’ll write these parts but I used to sit down and write the whole song and all the lyrics and little parts come to me now but I just need a little more time. I write the music and lyrics at the same time. Usually I come up with a phrase or a couple of lines and then come back to them and then when I really want to buckle down I finish all the lyrics. I think the ideal thing is to write it all fast but just for whatever reason lately I’ve just been jamming with the guitar.
There is a definite folk-tinged renaissance going on at the minute. Would you consider yourself a part of it and what is your take on the resurgence?
I’m not sure there is. Well a little bit before there was “Psyche-folk” with Lavender but I don’t feel part of that. Back before then there was always some great acoustic based music in every era. I am influenced by folk on this record and I think there is always going to be that in my music. I find it harder to imagine me making a full-on electric rocker but then again I’ll be listening heavily to the stooges or something and I’ll want to make something like that. If it’s electric there are still folk lines in there, ‘chordally’ or whatever. It just depends.
Let’s talk about The War On Drugs. Fans get so cut up when line-ups shift and change. Do you ever see yourself working with Adam Granduciel again?
Adam doesn’t really play with the violators anymore because he is busy. I’m happy for him and his record is great. I think he wanted to but I’m not saying we will never jam again. I’m sure we’ll play a little together again but he told me he wants to still play, he wasn’t leaving the band or anything but obviously we are both just always touring. That’s just the way it works, the reality is that we have to do our own thing. At times he was more in my band than I was in The War On Drugs but for a couple of years I equally played in them and a lot of cool stuff came out of that. I think The War On Drugs was more of a solo Adam thing where as The Violators was more of a band unit where Adam was always involved and everyone was involved playing live.
Who’s your favourite Kurt apart from yourself? Kurt Cobain? Kurt Russell? Or pro-wrestler Kurt Angle?
Definitely Kurt Cobain, he’s super cool. A little under a year ago I re-read that Come As You Are: The Story Of Nirvana’ book. I’m definitely sad by his fate and that he got so depressed and all that stuff that came with it. They make this Kurt Cobain Fender signature Guitar that I actually ordered from Fender. It’s a Jaguar but it has Humbucker pickups, which are dirtier pickups and I have a jaguar right now. You just look at it and it’s so cool, songs like ‘School’ are undeniably great and ‘Aneurysm’ just all of them. They seem dated in a way to some but they are really not. They are so popular that you could thing it’s clichéd but it’s really not, he’s one of the coolest guys there ever was; a complete rock symbol.
Finally, what does the future hold for Kurt Vile?
KV: The future is just lots of music and family life. Basically, more of this.
'Smoke Ring For My Halo’ is out now on Matador Records.