Wakin on a Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile

Wakin on a Pretty Daze, Kurt Vile's fifth album, rolled out on Matador on April 9, 2013, produced by John Agnello together with Vile and his band the Violators. It's the first of his records without longtime collaborator Adam Granduciel, whose place was taken by Rob Laakso, with Jesse Trbovich also in the close circle, and the ex-War on Drugs guitarist sounds happy to let the songs stretch out and drift like smoke on a warm afternoon.

Vile has said the album is simply about his life, written without overthinking it, and that's the charm: long, looping guitar lines, a sleepy Philadelphia drawl and a deep, hazy calm. "Wakin on a Pretty Day" has lingered on the countdowns, while "KV Crimes" had its moment on release. A deluxe edition followed that November, adding the EP It's a Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) and new artwork by Steve Powers.

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