Last year, the lackadaisical Philadelphian indie rock prince Kurt Vile released his album “Watch My Moves”. Since then, Vile has covered Charli XCX and played live with a whole lot of luminaries. Next month, Kurt Vile will release “Back To Moon Beach”, a new record that he’s calling an EP even though it’s almost an hour long.
The songs on “Back To Moon Beach” come from sessions that Kurt Vile recorded over the past four years, and they include tracks recorded with musicians like Chris Cohen, Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa, and Vile’s late bandmate Rob Laasko. It includes Vile’s covers of Bob Dylan’s “Must Be Santa” and Wilco’s “Passenger Side.” Recent Wilco collaborator Cate Le Bon co-produced three tracks, including the EP opener and first single “Another Good Year For the Roses.”
“Another good year for the roses” has nothing to do with George Jones’ “A Good Year For The Roses,” though I imagine that the reference is intentional. Instead, “Another good year for the roses” is a sprawling track that lasts for nearly six minutes. It starts off as an ambling groove with some nifty pedal steel and cowbell action, and it builds into a psychedelic jam. Kurt Vile co-directed the video with Drew Saracco, and it features the great character actors Michael Shannon, Kevin Corrigan, and David Wike,
“Back To Moon Beach” (Verve Records) is an EP by no one’s definition but Kurt Vile’s. For Kurt, this collection is an expression of just how deep his well of non-album material runs.
The Fat Angel Sings 