Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile, along with Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Times New Viking, helped kickstart the lo-fi revival that has stormed indie rock in the early 21st century. Unlike most of his far less gifted acolytes, however, the Philadelphia-based musician is extremely versatile. At first blush, he comes off as a primitive proto-punk, dealing primarily in murky bedroom recordings, fuzzy feedback and intense hypno-riffage. But the more time listeners spend with his music, the more likely they are to tune in to his other, equally boss, qualities. Underneath the din-n-scowl lurks a skilled and subtle tunesmith, one who obviously grew up with a stack of classic rock records from Cheap Trick, Warren Zevon, Big Star, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. Vile released two killer full-lengths, Constant Hitmaker and the folksy God Is Saying This to You, before signing with indie stalwart Matador Records in 2009. His debut album for the label, Childish Prodigy, is an expansive listen that shows off his love for blistering hard rock, moody acoustic balladry and bouncy pop. Vile dropped his second album for Matador, Smoke Ring For My Halo, in 2011.