Philadelphia song-maestro Kurt Vile is now offering up a deluxe edition of the masterful Smoke Ring For My Halo. It includes a new six-song EP entitled So Outta Reach. The songs on the EP were recorded during the Smoke Ring sessions and, like most of Vile’s output, occupy a similar headspace. Heck, there’s even two variations of the same song on the EP, the more rocking “Life’s A Beach” and the more acoustic-oriented “(so outta reach).” Not many artists can manage to sound so samey yet still engage their listeners, but Vile’s unique blend of deft guitar-playing and self-deprecating lyrics has gained a burgeoning amount of fanfare. The finger-picking on EP opener “The Creature” almost sounds like an alternate version of “Baby’s Arms,” but Vile still makes the song worthwhile with his patented brand of slacker-enlightenment. Elsewhere, “It’s Alright” rolls along on a wall of feedback, the tongue-in-cheek “Life’s A Beach” offers the upbeat strum of a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers song while Vile muses “I’m so outta reach, life’s a beach.” Then there’s Vile’s grimy interpretation of Springsteen’s “Downbound Train,” whose hard-luck lyrics seem tailor-made for Vile’s patented slur. It’s probably the highlight of So Outta Reach, which serves as a fitting extension to Smoke Ring For My Halo, which still holds up as one of the year’s best albums. – Capt. Obvious

Listen:

The Creature.mp3

Downbound Train (Bruce Springsteen Cover).mp3