Kurt Vile — Childish Prodigy

Although his name suggests a lineage that dates back to Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell, Kurt Vile is a new and quite prolific name in music.

Vile formed The War On Drugs with Adam Granduciel four years ago and released a pair of EPs and a full-length album with that band while concurrently running an increasingly successful solo career that has now yielded two albums in as many years. With the number of bedroom recording artists these days though, prolificness alone just doesn't cut it.

Thankfully, Vile is as talented at wordplay as he is at guitar. Childish Prodigy eschews traditional verse/chorus/verse song structures; instead he creates reverb-laden grooves that rarely let up, while throwing in whatever other sounds suit his fancy.

It's a dense shield to penetrate, but once through Vile's sophomore release is a rewarding experience that reveals new sounds with each listen.

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