John Vanderslice
LABEL: Dead Oceans  |||  PHOTO: Elizabeth Weinberg
 
John Vanderslice's albums have gained critical acclaim for their melodic quality and sophisticated narrative lyrical content. In 2000, he gained national media attention over his single "Bill Gates Must Die" after concocting an elaborate hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over the song; ironically, Vanderslice had trouble manufacturing the CD because the artwork resembled that of a Windows installation disc, and at least one manufacturer was wary of legal action. Several songs on the album Pixel Revolt referenced the September 11, 2001 attacks and the subsequent global political situation. Vanderslice's 2007 album, Emerald City, is named after the nickname of the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad. "I was so beaten down after the 2000 election and after 9/11 and then the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan," said Vanderslice. "I was so depleted as a person after all that stuff happened, that I had to write my way out of it. I really had to write political songs because for me it is a way of making sense and processing what is going on."

In addition to his noteworthy songwriting, Vanderslice is a proponent of using analog instruments and recording equipment to produce a richer, more raw sound which he has sometimes called "sloppy hi-fi". (Justin Cober-Lake. "Make It Beautiful and Trash It: An Interview with John Vanderslice". PopMatters)

The most noteworthy thing about John Vanderslice's new album is this: Romanian Names is the best record he's made to date. The 12 songs represent a career-defining moment, a pitch-perfect collection written and recorded with the utmost care and attention.

Vanderslice is certainly not the first artist to make such a leap several albums into a career—think Guided by Voices on Bee Thousand, Spoon's Kill the Moonlight or Of Montreal's Sunlandic Twins. JV's newest, his first for Dead Oceans, makes that colossal step and separates itself from an already top-notch body of work.

Throughout Romanian Names, JV sings with a newfound, unwavering confidence. He gets right at you with the sing-along choruses and punchy hooks of album opener "Tremble and Tear" and the poppy gem "C&O Canal." The songs know when to patiently step back with subtle gestures and knock-out atmospherics like those on display in "Forest Knolls" and "Summer Stock," and the album is glued together with the stripped-bare title track "Romanian Names" and the gorgeous Arthur Russell-esque album closer "Hard Times."

Lyrically, JV is employing an approach far less dense, less concerned with narrative and cohesion than in his past works. Instead, he's found a new tone and angle here, one that feels self-assured, natural, and unafraid. The results are some of his most singular and intriguing lyrics yet.

In addition to his own albums, Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and has collaborated and toured with The Mountain Goats. He also produced The Mountain Goats' albums Heretic Pride and We Shall All Be Healed. He is influenced by film and is a fan of David Lynch, whose work is referenced in his song "Promising Actress". His declared musical influences are diverse, ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Public Enemy. He has incorporated the poetry of William Blake, Percy Shelley and Robert Lowell into his music. In addition, Vanderslice is an avid photography hobbyist.



LINKS
John Vanderslice's website
John Vanderslice on myspace

“Too Much Time” from Romanian Names (right-click and save)

“Fetal Horses” from Romanian Names (right-click and save)

“White Dove” from Emerald City (right-click and save)


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