Back To Moon Beach

サーストン・ムーア、ダン・オーバックも称賛するSSWの2023年EP
サーストン・ムーア、ダン・オーバックも称賛する米フィラデルフィア出身SSW: カート・ヴァイルの2023年EP。本作は過去4年間の様々なセッションから抜粋された9曲収録。The War on Drugsでの活動後も多様なコラボや共作など精力的なソロ活動を続け、インスピレーション溢れる音楽コミュニティの幅も広げ続ける彼の1つの側面を捉えた名作。

過去4年間のさまざまなセッションから選ばれた未発表楽曲を収録した作品！

At some point, Kurt Vile started stretching out. His ambling, guitar-powered indie songs often progress a little more like classic rock or even rootsy jam band tunes, and they reached their highest form on lengthy albums where they could take their time finding the groove. Viles 2022 effort (Watch My Moves) was his fourth consecutive album with a run time over an hour long, so it follows that auxiliary collection Back to Moon Beach is presented as an EP but closes in on an hour itself with just nine miscellaneous tracks. Collected from various sessions that date back to 2019, the songs largely fit into the constant river of hazy emotions that Viles music always returns to. The first third of the album -- "Another Good Year for the Roses," "Touched Somethin (Caught a Virus)," and the title track -- all stroll by at similar relaxed tempos with the kind of minimal effort in regard to structural complexity and vocal performance that Vile has made his calling card. Cate Le Bons production assistance on "Another Good Year for the Roses" injects the song with extra pop bounce as well as some experimental coloration. "Blues Come for Some" is a hiss-coated piano ballad, while the moody, somewhat country-intoned twang of "Tom Pettys Gone (But Tell Him I Asked for Him)" or the drum machine-driven "Like a Wounded Bird Trying to Fly" are about as lively as Back to Moon Beach gets. The collection is rounded out by a cover of Wilcos "Passenger Side" from their 1995 debut, A.M., a take on Bob Dylans Christmas tune "Must Be Santa" (a wholesome holiday song made extra cute here by backup vocals from Viles daughters), and an alternate version of (Watch My Moves) track "Cool Water." Its another page in Viles ongoing catalog of daydreams and stoned musings, in its best moments reaching the same levels of quality as his fully considered albums. ~ Fred Thomas

50分以上の尺ながら、本人いわくEPという位置付けになるらしい新作。2019年にカリフォルニアのスタジオで録音され、2023年初頭に亡くなったヴァイオレーターズのロブ・ラークソとは最後の共演。ボブ・ディランで知られる"Must Be Santa"やウィルコ"Passenger Side"のカヴァー、"Cool Water"の再録も含めて、一定のリラックスしたテンポ感で披露されていく。
bounce (C)轟ひろみ