Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice - Vinyl

As heirs apparent to the throne of '90s alt-rock, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett appear to be an ideal match -- comrades in slacktivism united by a shrug and a smirk. If neither singer/songwriter sounds precisely like the other, they're good complements, both cherishing laconic melodies, loping rhythms, and a loads of guitar. All of these elements are in play on Lotta Sea Lice, a rambling nine-song affair that finds the duo singing each other's songs, playing tunes penned by friends, and covering Belly's "Untogether," an underappreciated '90s cult classic that the band once played as a duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke. Barnett and Vile do not bring to mind Yorke and Tanya Donelly, nor do they sound a thing like the original Kurt and Courtney of Nirvana and Hole fame. Singing together, Vile and Barnett evoke J Mascis and Liz Phair, comparisons that have been leveled against the individual rockers before, but on this lazy stroll of an LP, it appears the pair are indulging in alt-rock cos