-
9.1
80209
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Easily Vile’s masterpiece to date
Read Review
-
9.0
80384
9.0 |
The Digital Fix
Vile’s search through sounds and genres pays off big time. b'lieve i’m going down… is genre busting stuff; the best album of his career
Read Review
-
8.5
80150
8.5 |
The 405
He's the everyman kind of singer, expressing his sunny side, his grey side, his overconfident side, and his paranoid side - a complex individual that always comes off as honest
Read Review
-
8.4
80068
8.4 |
Pitchfork
Vile now plays "rock" in the most '70s sense of the word—album oriented, guitar solo-friendly, very much about long-haired dudes sitting in a room playing instruments
Read Review
-
8.3
80071
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
Vile isn’t emulating anyone. He’s just picking up echoes of the past, both those of the rock tradition and those of his own
Read Review
-
8.3
80387
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
While B’lieve won’t always command attention, that’s part of what makes it such a pleasant experience — Vile freely expresses himself without demanding anything in return
Read Review
-
8.1
80334
8.1 |
Earbuddy
He pares down on the instrumentation to allow more breathing space for the writing
Read Review
-
8.0
80349
8.0 |
Q
The hardest-working slacker in rock goes from strength to strength. Print edition only
-
8.0
80310
8.0 |
Under The Radar
These slowly unfurling songs are vast spaces Vile architected in order to give his wandering mind a place to sort itself out
Read Review
-
8.0
80326
8.0 |
DIY
His most open, captivating work to date
Read Review
-
8.0
80488
8.0 |
The Guardian
Terrific slow-burner from US charmer
Read Review
-
8.0
80561
8.0 |
Gig Soup
Kurt Vile is searching for something, himself perhaps, and this album is a pivotal part of the journey
Read Review
-
8.0
80072
8.0 |
The Independent
Sounds like the Mojave Desert brought to musical life – or at least, the sense of light-headed, out-of-body dislocation that can occur in desert climes
Read Review
-
8.0
80070
8.0 |
Spin
Bears a much closer resemblance to Vile’s true breakout, 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo
Read Review
-
8.0
80211
8.0 |
All Music
An impeccably arranged album beneath its soothing, sleepy surface, with every element assisting in an illusion of deep, shimmering, and alluring melancholy
Read Review
-
8.0
80217
8.0 |
Exclaim
Its tendency to slip into trance-like arrangements can make b'lieve feel a bit too sleepy at times, but moments pop up just in time to pull you back
Read Review
-
8.0
80075
8.0 |
The Skinny
On the piano-led spiders web of Life Like This and the captivating closer Wild Imagination which drifts on for six minutes of meticulous, Vile shows flashes of a new face that will keep you captivated for far longer
Read Review
-
8.0
80076
8.0 |
The Quietus
If possible, B'lieve I'm Going Down… signals a further maturation and a mellowing out of Vile's sonics
Read Review
-
8.0
80079
8.0 |
Mojo
Hypnotic and wonderful, the work of a singular artist coming into his own. Print edition only
-
8.0
80080
8.0 |
Uncut
As the LP continues you are progressively engrossed. Print edition only
-
8.0
80101
8.0 |
musicOMH
Vile’s new album has managed to forge a more consistent collection of songs built around simplicity and a shrugged shoulder approach to lyrics
Read Review
-
8.0
80140
8.0 |
PopMatters
It feels very much like another Kurt Vile album, but close listening will reveal some serious blues
Read Review
-
7.8
80444
7.8 |
Paste Magazine
Much of b’lieve remains mellower and more cognizant than Vile’s previous works
Read Review
-
7.0
80811
7.0 |
FasterLouder
A winding hour of self-reflection that can drift by without much impact, but its textured arrangements and Vile’s sneaky wit very much reward close listening
Read Review
-
7.0
80552
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
You can hear the darkness of a late hour in the album
Read Review
-
7.0
80417
7.0 |
Clash
Vile is still not the strongest vocalist, but he has a flair for churning out subdued and heartfelt melodies that burrow their way into the listener's subconscious
Read Review
-
7.0
80295
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
He makes no huge stylistic leap on the album, but instead allows for an organic refinement of his already unique and provocative style
Read Review
-
7.0
80067
7.0 |
No Ripcord
Further evidence of Vile’s conclusive authenticity, and his position as one of songwriting’s most understated commodities
Read Review
-
7.0
80069
7.0 |
Slant Magazine
An album that's as multifaceted and profound as its mysterious creator
Read Review
-
7.0
80073
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Kurt Vile's most introspective LP is the sound of a guitar hero plumbing existential doubt without wanting to wake the kids
Read Review
-
7.0
80074
7.0 |
The Music
Detached, discontent and at times giving way to melancholy despair, Vile's presence adds weight to hold down the dreamy instrumental textures. A low-key release that grows with repeat listening
Read Review
-
6.0
80143
6.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Aside from the smeared confusion inherent to Vile’s deceptively acerbic lyrics, there’s also the stranded longing of his music, which is more stripped-back and spare than 2013’s previous effort
Read Review
-
6.0
80374
6.0 |
Crack
On the whole, B’Lieve I’m Goin’ Down is a more upbeat and polished album than any Vile has released before. It’s also far less compelling
Read Review
-
6.0
80157
6.0 |
NOW
He reminds us that the untamed wilderness of modern Americana is still his backyard
Read Review
-