''Square Shells'' is a limited edition EP by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

musician

Kurt Vile Kurt Samuel Vile (born January 3, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work, music released under the name "Kurt Vile and The Violators," and as the former lead guitarist of ...

, released on May 24, 2010 on

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...

. Regarding the release, Vile stated: " he EP isa collection of some home recordings and some studio recordings. I put the songs together, see what they need, maybe add some more here, maybe songs from back in the day. .No different from '' Constant Hitmaker'' or '' God Is Saying This to You...''. It's just a compilation. Psychedelic, kind of mellow." The EP was available as a free download during its first twenty-four hours of release.

Background and recording

Regarding the track, "Losing Momentum (for Jim Jarmusch)", which references filmmaker

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician. He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...

in its title, Kurt Vile noted: "I have an early EP my buddy Richie put out, called '' The Hunchback EP'', and there's a song called "Losing It" on there. The record is 45 RPM, but it doesn't say it on there, so people were playing it at 33, and tons of people were coming up to me

aying Aying is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the s ...

like, "Dude, you should listen to that at 33." So I did. And the instrumental "Losing It" is "Losing Momentum"… it's the same song, just recorded from 33, and it sounded really slow. It sounded like it belonged in a film. Right away, I was like, "Man, this belongs in a movie. This belongs in a Jim Jarmusch movie." Eventually he's gonna see it, and then he'll have to hear it, and then he did hear it. ..He curated an

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...

, and he was like, "I heard that, Kurt. Thank you. But I want you to know that's not why I invited you to this." He's a fan, so that's awesome. That's the same reason you cover "The Monkey" by

Dim Stars Dim Stars was an alternative rock supergroup active briefly in the early 1990s. The group was composed of bassist Richard Hell of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, and guitarist ...

, which is

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

and

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television (band), ...

. You know that eventually they'll hear it. It's a way of reaching out to them."

Reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s David Bevan gave the EP a positive review, stating: "With seven beautifully sequenced songs in 27 minutes, it's more substantial than your traditional stopgap, with more to explore. ..It's a satisfying EP that leaves open the question of where Vile's music might go next. Will he work more in the folk lane and away from FM radio licks? Will he go it alone or will the Violators be at his side?" Writing for

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...

, Adam Kivel wrote: "Whether the next LP will bring back the heavier, fuller side of Vile’s sound is yet to be seen. But, a disc like this, even as an EP, makes you wish he could keep making them this way for a while."

Track listing

All tracks written by Kurt Vile except where noted. #"Ocean City" #"Invisibility: Nonexistent" #"Losing Momentum (for Jim Jarmusch)" #"I Wanted Everything" #"I Know I Got Religion" #"The Finder" (Vile/

Adam Granduciel Adam Granofsky (born February 15, 1979), better known under his stage name Adam Granduciel, is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the frontman and primary songwriter of the indie rock band the War on Drugs, wit ...

) #"Hey, Now I'm Movin"

Personnel

Musicians

– vocals, guitar,

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instrument An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electr ...

s (''6'') *

– baritone guitar (''3''), Yamahas (''6''), additional overdubs (''2'' and ''7'') *Michael Johnson – drums (''2'')

Recording personnel

– recording (''3'' and ''6'') *

– recording (''3'' and ''6''), mixing (''2'' and ''7'') *David Park – recording (''2'')

Artwork

*Matt Horseshit – shell art * Sore Eros – power plant sunrise

References

{{Kurt Vile 2010 EPs Kurt Vile albums