Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

allmusic“There’s an oddball warmth behind his laconic sneer...” Vile's guitar work remains predictably strong, especially on the fingerpicked “Peeping Tomboy” and the shimmery title cut, but it’s his laconic, serpentine melodies and amiable, burnout wisdom that keep the listener so enthralled...

MusicOMH“A swing and a miss...” Seems content to plant its flag into barren soil. Vile's vocals are stylistically apathetic to fit the stoner, slacker vibe; it's unfortunate that - in this case - what has previously made Kurt Vile idiosyncratic here detracts...

BBC“A clear development from 2009’s Childish Prodigy...” The prevalence of barroom piano and Kurt’s own tarnished vocal bear comparison to the great and the good of ‘heartland rock’: Springsteen, Tom Petty or Bob Seger, say...

The Line of Best Fit“The truly evocative ingredients lie in Vile’s vocals...” Radiates a dangerously infectious lassitude which can prove hard to shake. It’s far too easy to sit and marvel at Vile’s musings, carelessly letting the day drift past your eyes...

Drowned In Sound“Drenched in washed-up reverb...” Smoke Ring...’s reliance on gloom and loneliness rarely lets up. But he’s trying to find beauty in it, which I guess is the point. And y’know, I’d bet his best is still a-brewing, constantly stewing in that smokey Vile heart of his...

NME“A thing of strange and reluctant beauty...” The overall impression is of gloomy landscape paintings with a spooky, residual feeling that God might be hiding behind every cloud or passing tumbleweed — electrifying...

Pitchfork“Kurt Vile has a lot to say...” This feels like a family of songs, one whose complexion and course changes as a whole with every spin...