Although Kurt Vile’s musical career has spanned over the
past five years, I had my first taste of the songwriter’s mellow style with the
release of his fourth studio album, Smoke
Ring for My Halo, in 2011. I listened to that album many times, very
concentrated at first. It became an instant go to listen when I couldn’t find
anything else in my musical library that I wanted to hear. I often played it as
background for any mundane task that didn’t require the attention of my full
sensory capabilities and it has been an obvious choice as a backdrop for social
gatherings. Kurt Vile’s laid-back songwriting, subtle hooks and meandering song
structures actually make his music appropriate for many occasions. I believe
this versatility comes from a non-present quality in much of Vile’s
songwriting, that has allowed for many subsequent listens without fatigue.
On Vile’s fifth studio release, Waking On a Pretty Daze, he continues his brand of passive
storytelling. There is nothing entirely new happening sonically on this record.
I don’t say that to acknowledge a weakness of the new release. Sometimes more
of the same is a good thing. Waking On a
Pretty Daze is an elaboration of previous themes. Overall the songs are a
little bit longer. Vile shows a stronger sense of identity and confidence on
this record that comes from an artist that has been around and created their
own niche in modern music.
The first song and almost title track, “Wakin On a Pretty
Day,” exudes this confidence. The song does not build up, but comes right in
with an entire arrangement, and patiently stays there for over nine minutes.
Vile’s narrative presence is subtle and at the same time completely compelling.
He politely demands a listener’s attention, not by being bombastic or flashy,
but by standing back from the spotlight while allowing the listener a direct
line of connection to his music simply by being present. Vile’s lyrics are
casual. His focus is often on the small things, observations that might occur to
someone during those moments that are not considered moments at all, but that
happen in between notable action. Such as his metaphor on “Wakin On a Pretty
Day,” that affords a telephone the agency to commit suicide. Vile characterizes
the non-event as someone that spends a lot of time stuck in their own head. In
“Snowflakes Are Dancing,” he sings, “When I’m away out there, I wanna go home,
when I am home, my head stays out there.” Here Vile represents a level of
introspection in which the present moment is alluded, by hanging back and
thinking of something out of reach.
Wakin On a Pretty
Daze is a mellow, one-dimensional journey. One-dimensional in the sense
that from the first song to the last Vile’s music rides a similar wave of
dreamy reverb laden guitar and mumbling vocals that unconcernedly drool out of his
mouth. Vile’s ability to occupy a kind of negative space allows for the
creation of a unique identity that is distinct in its non-distinctness. It is a
position of paradox that dwells within the non-events of our lives, the before
and the after. It is the space where we find ourselves in times of boredom that
leads to self-reflection. I believe that it also happens to be the space where
imagination and creativity take root. Wakin
On a Pretty Daze is both reflective and personal, and in this area of nondescript,
something truly special is represented by Vile.
Grade: A
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