Short but gorgeous...Kurt Vile and Sore Eros

Jamaica Plain is only three tracks, but they're lovely...the wavering tones of electric amplification and feedback weaving through picked clarity, little bits of drumming and noise tossed in to friction...only one track ("Serum") with vocals, but who needs them? This is a long-buried effort from Kurt Vile and Robin Robertson, who did some time in the Violators but is mostly known as Sore Eros. They recorded in the early aughts, it well before Vile-mania, when Kurt was just a long-haired kid with a way into and past folk guitar and Robertson was, well, pretty much exactly as obscure as he is today. I like it a lot, but if you put it on and leave the room, it'll be over before you get back.

It's out next week on Care in Community Recordings.

Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile's been doing some shows with J. Mascis lately, one of them in Brattleboro, which is close, but I didn't go. From what I hear, it was mostly acoustic, but J. got off the stool a couple of times to do some Dinosaur tunes...and also, from what I hear, Kurt Vile was in quiet, jangly mode, but still pretty riveting.

Anyway, there's a new folky, acoustic KV album out now on Matador called Smoke Ring For My Halo, which I have been enjoying (but I like the full-band stuff better). Here's "Jesus Fever".

And here are the two of them doing "Make It Right" in Philly, which is Vile's hometown.

Yeah, Blues Control was great...wha?

My review of the extremely loud but very satisfying Blues Control/Kurt Vile show is up now at Blurt. Read it here.

Or just skip to these really excellent mp3s from the Free Music Archive.

Kurt Vile "Freeway"

Blues Control "Frankie's Problem"

Blues Control "MashPotato"