Monday, December 21, 2015

SOUND & COLOR: THE ALBUMS, 2015.


12/kurt vile/b'lieve i'm goin down...

b'lieve I'm goin down begins with kurt digging the scene with a gangsta lean. Out of his head again, not giving much of a fuck. He doesn't recognize the boy in the mirror,  and does not and will not comb his hair. He's weightless, over it. Stuck in place, but a thousand miles away, as time keeps on slipping, and the world continues to spin and go on around him, with or without his participation.

Pretty Pimpin', right?

The Kurt Vile mentioned above is present throughout b'lieve i'm goin down. Losing his head and living in a constant state of disbelief, but never too far gone. There's a lot going on in that head of his, but the words are always clear, as is his focus. And on b'lieve i'm goin down, Kurt collects himself just enough to turn his bouts of misery and inner turmoil into something accessible, and often sublime (hilarious and self-deprecating). The lyricist and vocalist of b'lieve I'm goin down may be at a loss for how best to achieve clarity or serenity in the not too distant future, but the musician and architect of b'lieve i'm goin down remains committed throughout to seeking and exalting strength and clarity via sound. Finding refuge in the trappings of folk and uncluttered rock soundscapes, the music of b'lieve i'm goin down is almost a language unto itself, as wordless backdrops are given the space to float above and around it all, providing a safe space for Kurt when the words and thoughts become too much. Taken together, Kurt and these tracks invoke the steady calm of James Taylor, and the modern rock stance & determinism of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in equal measures, succeeding in shaking out the blues to drown out the noise taking up space in his head. 

Pretty pimpin'.

KEY TRACKS: pretty pimpin'/dust bunnies/wild imagination

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