The slow drip leak cycle for Kurt Vile's upcoming Matador release Smoke Ring for My Halo plays on with “Jesus Fever”, which has officially cemented what was for us only a faint glimmer of comprehension when we called the previous leak “nü dad rock.” But the missing link's clearer now. Who remembers David Gray? Alt dad-rock impresario of the earliest oughts, known for his hit “Babylon” and covers of “Sail Away”. Well kids, meet your new daddy Gray.
Of course, David Gray is the Starbucks to Kurt Vile's locavore hipster java hole. Vile spent his pre-Matador career cobbling masterful folk tunes onto lo-fi recordings. He's always put music out on cool labels. He always played shows with cool bands. Yes: Kurt Vile = cool dude. So respect the progression, and let's hope the underground king gets keys to some aboveground views, dude's a nü dad, after all.
