kurt vile - freak train

kurt vile - freak train

A standout from Kurt's latest LP, "Childish Prodigy," "Freak Train" sounds like Suicide took a ride to New Jersey, and dosed their electro synth-punk with Bruce-sized blasts of Americana, all the late-light longing, unrequited hopes and freak-train riding that one associates with the giants of Asbury Park, but stuffed into a lo-fi bedroom burner. Over a relentless drum-machine groove Kurt wails and cuts loose, highlights being a number of spat-out exclamations like "I've never been so insulted in my whole life! Shit!" It's uplifting, energetic, driving and mildly obscene, with a strong sense of street-smart storytelling and roots-rock pathos, yet also kind of out of control and messy like Royal Trux style. Kurt Vile & The Violators play Mercury Lounge on Oct. 7th.