Seraphina Lotkhamnga on February 10th, 2011

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With early albums on indie imprints labels Woodsist and Mexican Summer, Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile was lumped in with the lo-fi folk crowd, perhaps unfairly. Whether he’s playing solo or with his band the Violators, his sound goes much deeper and holds richer influences. Likening Vile to Bob Seger and Tom Petty is not a stretch; his warm, psychedelic roots rock showcases one of his greatest strengths – the ability to sing about heavy, and often spiritual, subjects with a fleeting pop sensibility. His latest track, “Jesus Fever,” built on a catchy acoustic guitar riff, is a nice taste of the breeziness on the forthcoming album. Produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth), “Smoke Ring For My Halo” is due March 8 via Matador.

||| Download: “Jesus Fever”

||| Also: Grab “In My Time” – the first single (which ran on a limited 7-inch and will also appear on the album).

Photo by Shawn Brackbill