Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy (2009) [Matador] // Grade: A+

Armed with an acoustic guitar, a long curly mane of hair and the tongue-in-cheek title, “Philly’s Constant Hitmaker”, singer-songwriter Kurt Vile is leading the outsider Americana wave, retooling classic and psych rock with a lo-fi aesthetic.

Also the lead guitarist for The War on Drugs, Vile has self-recorded and released a slew of 7″s, singles and EPs throughout the year, each illustrating a different side of his modern folk-crafting ability. Vile’s 2008 full-length, Constant Hitmaker was largely slept on, and he returns with Childish Prodigy, his first major/indie label album, and the followup that’s sure to make critics and the public alike take note of the loner from Philly.

While Constant Hitmaker was a largely acoustic and straightforward release, Childish Prodigy in comparison finds Vile in a darker place, sounding like a reverb soaked, drugged up Bob Dylan. The somber intimacy of Vile’s other releases is missing from Childish Prodigy, but somehow the emotion manages to feel even more significant, hidden beneath layers of cackling distortion, drawn-out harmonica and looping vocals. “Inside Looking Out” portrays Vile at his most talented, a mix of everything that makes his music great. The track is vaguely reminiscent of Suicide’s material, droning along and layering Vile’s bluesy, growls in vibrating echo, wolf howls and slow-burning harmonica. Vile’s touring band, The Violators, lend backing to several of the album’s tracks, providing a break from the raw introspection of Vile’s solo compositions. Childish Prodigy‘s opener, “Hunchback”, is an impressive kick off to the album, featuring churning, classic rock accompaniment by The Violators.

Kurt Vile is at his career best with his first major label release on Matador. Childish Prodigy strums, wails and beckons the listener with a unique mix of classic rock and lo-fi. I listened to this album back to back six times yesterday and on a personal note, I think I may have just settled on my selection for the best album of the year.

- Scrooge McFuck