Kurt Vile - (watch my moves)
Kurt Vile
(watch my moves)
By: Sam Eeckhout
At this point in his career, Kurt vile is capable of being far more than he shows on (watch my moves), which, if nothing else, is bland.
If by "watch my moves," Vile means listen to my meandering, generally listless, bloated album - no thanks.
It's not the soundtrack to floating on a lake during a beautiful Summer's day; it's music for sitting next to a small pond fishing for fish that don't exist.
Nothing happens, and you're irritated with the time wasted. You can't even settle into how relaxing it is.
With 15 songs, (11 of which go over 4:45 minutes) it's more bloating than floating.
That’s not to say there aren’t some nice Vile moments scattered across the album. The highlights, including “Jesus on a Wire,” “Palace of OKV in Reverse,” and the serene and beautiful “Chazzy Don’t Mind,” - find Vile finding that balance of drifting vocal/guitar work with just enough intrigue.
Plus, there is a real shift back to his debut album, Constant Hitmaker, where there are some longer and extended jams and grooves, but much of (watch my moves) moves absolutely nowhere.
Vile has never been a strong vocalist, but the tone and cohesion of his instrumentation have always worked together. On (watch my moves), they are more of a distraction - strangely going to falsetto at times that simply don’t work.
His vocal decisions don’t seem to be decisions at all. They go where they want.
The lyrics themselves both focus on the post-pandemic, introspective world he finds himself in - but they also feel impulsive and random, as if he wrote down the first things that came to his mind and said ‘good enough.
Over a nine album career, Vile has stayed true to the sound that has pushed his fame to its indie-rock corner of music.
As we hear on (watch my moves), it’s difficult to tell if Vile has maxed out his potential or given up tapping into what he’s capable of.
The album lacks the focus and drive to attract a wider audience, and while fans of Vile will settle into its 1-hour nook of thoughtful reflection - (watch my moves) misses the mark.
At this point in his career, Kurt vile is capable of being far more than bland.
