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9.0
25815
9.0 |
No Ripcord
Producer John Agnello has helped Vile to refine his lo-fi aesthetic and at times Smoke Ring For My Halo sounds nothing short of stunning
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8.6
23005
8.6 |
Beats Per Minute
Vile’s use of winding rhythms and noisy terrains has a way of making something tangible out of something kind of formless
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8.4
22982
8.4 |
Pitchfork
This feels like a family of songs, one whose complexion and course changes as a whole with every spin
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8.3
23011
8.3 |
A.V. Club
A repetitive album in the best possible sense, even if some of Vile’s distinctive sound was shorn off along with the fuzz
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8.0
23043
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Amazingly evocative while feeling completely natural
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8.0
23051
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Seductive, hand-crafted songs
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8.0
22985
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Radiates a dangerously infectious lassitude which can prove hard to shake
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8.0
22959
8.0 |
A.V. Club
Vile’s finest to date, and demonstrates another side to an ever-changing artist
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8.0
22800
8.0 |
NME
A thing of strange and reluctant beauty
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8.0
22817
8.0 |
Eye Weekly
The diamond once buried so deeply in the rough better brace himself for a decidedly warm reception
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8.0
22820
8.0 |
The Skinny
Modern slant on old familiar sounds
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8.0
22829
8.0 |
Uncut
The real heart of this record seems to lie in moments of stillness and rest. Print edition only
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8.0
22831
8.0 |
Mojo
A meditative set of hypnotic pop with a folk rock heart. Print edition only
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8.0
22886
8.0 |
The Fly
Only a musical injustice can stop Vile following label mate Ariel Pink out of the indie ghetto and into a (relatively) mainstream light
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8.0
22891
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Smoke Ring...’s reliance on gloom and loneliness rarely lets up
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8.0
26103
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
One can detect a Lou Reed influence in Vile’s detached, extended-vowel drawl, with the odd Springsteen-ish touch and a very occasional John Mellencamp-ism popping up here and there
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8.0
23449
8.0 |
The Quietus
His most accessible work to date while remaining utterly distinctive
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8.0
24008
8.0 |
Q
This is a gem. Print edition only
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8.0
23064
8.0 |
DIY
The roll and shuffle of the tracks allows 'Smoke Ring For My Halo' to wash over you like a desert breeze and stick it on repeat to get yourself fully immersed
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7.5
23384
7.5 |
Prefix
His work is definitely on an upward trajectory, provided that he’s still willing to experiment with his sound
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7.0
23106
7.0 |
PopMatters
Works because it has both lilting atmosphere and a rumbling, if trudging, pulse
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7.0
23251
7.0 |
Clash
70s-inspired thrum-rock
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7.0
23300
7.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
The unexpected twists in melody throughout the record nicely balance the more repetitive strains
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7.0
22909
7.0 |
BBC
A personal, private fourth LP
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7.0
22823
7.0 |
Subba Cultcha
His strongest yet
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7.0
23056
7.0 |
AU Review
A lot ends up as aimless acoustic meandering. Still, for that opening hat-trick alone…
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6.0
25308
6.0 |
State
A delightfully soft album, and one that should probably be reserved for a long drive across some baron landscape
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5.0
26534
5.0 |
FasterLouder
Perhaps Vile would benefit from retaining the reckless abandon and youthful enjoyment of his previous records – after all, polished is not always better.
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5.0
23001
5.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
The LP marks the first time Vile has seemed utterly unsure of himself
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5.0
22821
5.0 |
musicOMH
What has previously made Kurt Vile idiosyncratic here detracts
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