Vile, Kurt - Constant Hitmaker LP

philadelphian one-man band kurt vile kicks off this excellent record with a lo-fi pop anthem: 'freeway' is a simple enough guitar & drum machine affair, but there's a raw, energetic romanticism that instantly taps into the tropes of great americana songwriters, & the fact that this is all strung together in a punky, diy setting only serves to make the record more effective & heartstring-tugging. not all-out pop though: you'll find weird sketchy pieces that sound like the emissions of some far out supermarket synth drones, like some freakish combination of ariel pink & atlas sound. thoroughly weird & unfocussed, but not without considerable pop melody...and structure. imagine bob pollard and lou barlow losing their lo-fi crown(s) to this chap...its easy.

-- Rough Trade