Emerald City (Barsuk)
Normally it would be annoying if an artist was still hung up on the events of 9/11 in his songs, especially if he isn't from New York and didn't have any personal losses. It's not that 9/11 shouldn't still be addressed -it's just odd that he is still hung up on it. But with John Vanderslice, it doesn't matter. His lyrics are so clever and the music is always a crisp union of acoustic guitar, piano tenderness and the more electronic, back beat earnestness that result in intoxicating songs that hook you in. With Emerald City Johnny may not have equaled what he delivered a few years back with Cellar Door- one of the best albums of the decade- but he has once again put together a solid group of songs that together act almost as an eulogy to his last effort, Pixel Revolt, as both albums are calmer and slower than Cellar Door and the lyrical content of both reflect the same subjects.
Granted, not all the songs are about 9/11 and not all are calm -check out the impressive "White Dove" and "Time to Go." Some songs deal with personal relationships and the denial of his French girlfriend's visa("Central Booking"). I don't know if this has been confirmed, but he may think 9/11 was one grand conspiracy: "What happened on Septemeber 11th was a fake" he sings on "Tablespoon of Codeine." Then again, his rhetoric can be a bit complex so it's not obvious as to whether that's his thoughts or not. Either way, it's obvious the government has to wake up pretty early in the morning to get one by John. Vanderslice is definitely one of the most important singer/songwriters today as he is actually one who can combine intelligent lyrics with intelligently constructed music and have it result so accessible.
hear: Kookaburra, Time to Go, White Dove, The Minaret, Central Booking
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