Kurt Vile has been playing the same stoned classic rock riffs for several years now. What elevates him to the upper-echelon of indie-rock songwriters that he now occupies is a glorious lack of self-consciousness about this aesthetic, to the point that it damn well refuses to come across as derivative. From his first released recordings with The War on Drugs to his latest release “Smoke Ring for My Halo,” he’s maintained a sun-baked, dusty guitar sound that has called back to the classic rock of old, while still managing to assert an independent sound.

What differentiates this new album from his previous works is a sudden tightening up of his rambling aesthetic. Even on his previous release, “Childish Prodigy,” we as listeners were able to see the change occurring with the shift to major label Matador. There was a noticeable opening-up of his music, allowing for more instrumentation. Although his work with The War on Drugs was relatively polished, his solo work for the most part maintained a rambly, dusty sound.

This change only serves to make this performer’s exceptionally 70s folk-rock based tunes more accessible to the average listener. Potential future single “Jesus Fever” brings to mind echoes of George Harrison’s solo work and 70s AM pop along the lines of America. Once again, this isn’t to call it derivative. Rather, it almost feels like a cassette by one of those named performers left in the tape deck for too long. It sounds just slightly overexposed, like a worn-out burned CD from high school. The guitars strum and he sings in his brambly, Marc Bolan-esque voice that “if it wasn’t taped you could escape this song/But I’m already gone,” as though the music itself is from a bygone era.

One could easily accuse this aspect of the music as a lack of a sense of place. But it isn’t that simple. Instead of coming across as derivative, the music has a charmingly self-reflexive element, which doesn’t come across as simple irony. Instead, it reminds one of listening to “Classic Rock in Spring,” as the performer himself put it on his earlier album, “Constant Hitmaker.” Kurt Vile’s beautifully nostalgic music deserves a larger audience than it has received thus far. With “Smoke Ring for My Halo,” it may finally receive one.

Mark Schiffer can be reached at [email protected]