Kurt Vile Philadelphia’s been good to me
Kurt Vile seems pretty relaxed in Philadelphia. Well, if you’ve been listening to the reliably laidback indie rocker for a while, you know he seems pretty relaxed just about anywhere. But Philly is what grounds him – he grew up in its suburbs and still lives in the city, with his family, to this day. It’s where he prefers to make music, but it’s also where he can put it away for a while. His new album, Philadelphia’s been good to me, pays tribute to the city that raised him, is raising his family, and will continue to be there for him long after the music stops.
The songs on Philadelphia’s been good to me reside around three major elements in Vile’s life – the Philly music scene he’s a part of, the family he’s made for himself, and how he doesn’t need the things he used to think he needed. The album’s first track, “Zoom 97,” captures Vile considering all of those items during a drive into Philly. The Goldtone mandolin guitar-laced tune has the singer replacing old vices with new priorities – “Ain’t no trips though (no LSD)/True love is the pure drug for me.” He’s also unbothered by those who don’t dig his music – “I wrote a song, yeah/Some people said I was doing it wrong.” The “chimin’ chords” he references here also show up on “99 BPM,” a throwback to a time – “It was 2012, but it felt like 2014” – of great transition in Vile’s life: he and The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel had recently left each other’s musical orbits, and Vile was focused on his own band, The Violators.
Vile drills down most fully on the Philly scene on the album’s lead single, “Chance to Bleed.” The fuzz-based rocker, which celebrates the gritty indie music scene with a crowd-ready singalong – “With that old time, lo-fi, DIY, rock ‘n’ roll…nights!” But my favorite line in the song is an indicator that Vile intends to be making music the same ol’ way – his way – for a long time: “East Coast blues on a comeback/And I’ve been comin’ back my whole damn life.” That stand-up for Philly shows up loudest in the synthy “You don’t know cuz it’s my life.” While former bandmates have decamped, Vile proudly ain’t goin’ nowhere – “I’m from the town where Sun Ra lived, Sun Ra died/So you don’t know (‘cuz you left).” He even good-naturedly tweaks legends who try to delve into his city – “A couple of my heroes wrote a song/But that ain’t where they’re from/So ‘Hey’ you don’t know/But I still love ya: Neil and the Boss.” Vile’s true love for Philly now dwells in what it means to him today. Circling back to “Zoom 97,” it’s the life that he’s built – grounded in today, not history – that matters; “World’s been meltin’/In front o’ my eyes/My baby girls…/They keep me high.” Here’s hoping those girls grow up to love Philadelphia as much as Dad does.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Every time I look at you” – Acoustic guitar, chimes and a Neil Young-esque warble add up to an unexpectedly charming love song, nicely balanced by a dose of characteristic Kurt Vile humor – “But my mind is surely growin’/Into something more wholer/(I think I’m gettin’ smarter, too).”
Philadelphia’s been good to me was produced by Kurt Vile and the Violators. Adam Langellotti and Matthew Jugenheimer, engineered by Langellotti, Jugenheimer, Vile, Rob Schnapf, Matt Schuessler, Brian Rosemeyer, Kyle Spence and Matt Qualls, mixed by Langellotti, Schnapf and Peter Katis and mastered by Jessica Thompson. All songs written by Kurt Vile. Musicians on the album include Vile (vocals, Gold Tone mandolin guitar, electric guitar, synths, acoustic guitar, keys, piano, trumpet), Langellotti (bass, drums, synth), Jugenheimer (Wurlitzer organ, keys, piano, percussion, electric piano, high hats, bell), Spence (drums), Schnapf (shaker), Mikel Patrick Avery (drums, percussion), Jesse Trbovich (backing vocals, electric guitar), Sarah Jones (drums), David Scher (steel guitar, piano, synths, lap steel), Francie Medosch (backing vocals), Jon Cox (backing vocals), Greg Cartwright (lead electric guitar, vocals), Natalie Hoffman (backing vocals), Elena Tulve (backing vocals), Rob Laasko (bass, keys) and Steve Gunn (electric guitar),
Go here to order/stream Philadelphia’s been good to me (out May 29):
https://kurtvile.merchtable.com/
https://kurtvile.lnk.to/PhiladelphiasBeenGoodToMe
Check out tour dates here: https://www.kurtvile.com/