For the uninitiated, Kurt Vile is part Dylan, part Iggy, part Petty, yet all Vile with a distinctive style. The War on Drugs co-founder has been turning out solo albums on a regular basis since 2008, and B’lieve I’m Goin Down is his sixth solo release.
There’s an interesting variety of styles at play on B’lieve I’m Goin Down, from the slinky sleaze of Pretty Pimpin to wistful That’s Life, Thou to the earnest folk of Stand Inside. What really jumps out, though, is the highly successful use of piano that marks some of the standout moments on the record. Even the instrumental track, Bad Omens is built around doleful dabbing chords (even if that particular song doesn’t quite fulfil its promise).
The first piano-led song, Life Like This comes in at the halfway point, providing a timely shift in texture and tone. It’s a special interlocking of arpeggio piano, bobbling rhythm guitar and another counter stabbing guitar creating a gentle roll for a rhythmic vocal. It’s pretty catchy. For me, though, the Zappa-esque lead lines between verses add an unexpected magic – not a combination I would have thought of, but it really takes the song somewhere.
Another track with piano at the fore, Lost My Head There is one of the lighter moments on the record, although there is an underlying mournfulness to it, even if the song has an overall jaunty soulfulness to it (adding in some whimsical samples). There’s a nakedness to the arrangement, which is playfully mirrored in the lyric:
“lost my head there for a second / had a little funky psychosis (aw…sweet relief!) i don’t wanna sit around it, walk around it all today / so i gone went ahead and just levitated”
Lyrically, it feels like a personal album with lots of self-reflection evident in tracks like Pretty Pimpin, I’m An Outlaw and Wheelhouse, with the latter reading like an equation that Vile is continually trying to solve:
“Sometimes i talk too much / but i gotta get it out. But i don’t wanna talk / i only wanna listen. But baby talk soft / my ears are always ringin now. Hummin a sad song when i’m alone / but you gotta be alone to figure things out sometimes”
There’s some quality quieter moments, too. All In A Daze Work and That’s Life, Thou both draw you in with their intimacy, but whereas these may not be as immediate as the Wild West swagger of I’m An Outlaw or the leisurely warmth of Dust Bunnies, they reveal more of themselves on repeated listens.
The album does, however, peter out a bit – it’s very easy for the last three or four tracks to float past without making much impact. Stand Inside seems a bit listless. Kidding Around feels like a song too far and Wild Imagination is a little plain and possibly over-long. Maybe it’s just the modern mind set – our attention spans aren’t what they used to be, so unless you’re writing a stone cold classic, nine or ten tracks will probably do it rather than the 12 on show here.
One thing is for certain, Matador Records made damn sure the “pimpinest” track is upfront. Opener, Pretty Pimpin is exactly that – slack Americana, like Tom Petty played by Pavement. It’s got some of the strongest melody lines I’ve heard by Vile and tells a story of self-analysis littered with confusion, but arriving at the conclusion that some things are more important:
“who’s this stupid clown blockin the bathroom sink? / but he was sporting all my clothes / i gotta say: pretty pimpin”
This album is definitely worth some investment past the immediate pay-offs if only for the wordplay that is a cornerstone of virtually every song. But, there is so much more to be had, albeit in small, mainly subtle treats – songs sneakily change gears, instruments dip in and out with almost subliminal hooks and songs wash over in clouds of cool. For those folks new to Kurt Vile, this is a great starting point, and for existing fans, I’m confident you’ll be very happy with the progress made.
Adam Atkins