Search - John Vanderslice :: Emerald City (Dig)

It all comes together, beautifully

B | Alexandria, VA USA | 06/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered John Vanderslice at a record store listening station. I fell in love with the song "You were my Fiji" from "Time Travel is Lonely." I back filled my collection with his other albums which were a mixed bag of either over-experimentation or lack of inspiration but all with a consistent refreshing off-beat style. On "Emerald City" he combines the best of what he has learned along the way. The songs have a slightly more pop feel (more accessible)than previous efforts but do not lose his quirky songwriting, folksy voice, or minimalist guitar/piano approach. "Teaspoon of Codeine" and "Numbered Lithograph" add just the right touch of elecrtronica. Just a delightful album to listen to from the first to the last track."

Impressionistic

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 08/23/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Emerald City" is my introduction to John Vanderslice. His off-center musical approach is refreshing and unusual. He's not blessed with a classic singing voice, but has a thin vocal quality that works much as Ray Davies' classic rock with the Kinks. Vanderslice's music uses his unusual voice and varied musical instruments as on the opener "Kookaburra," "It can't be stopped; Thunder clouds are tightening in the sky tonight; We can't be saved; Electricity will scribble out your name." "The Parade" pits a flower-power melody against a conflicted lyric, "Be calm, be quiet as the cop drives by; Stand right there like a poisoned well." "The Tower" plays like a soundtrack for a marching army with the drum pounding against the full vocal harmonies, "It's a burning tower hit by lightning & people are jumping out, It's coming down." Vanderslice's songs are impressionistic, leaving you to wonder exactly what it was about. It's likeable, it's just unusual with musical riffs that are quite pleasant on the ear combined with bizarre lyrics as on "The Minaret," "They scattered in the woods to gather up their strength, dripping blood on the road; Oh how the animals looked on." "Numbered Lithograph" explodes emotionally as John wails, "I've never been lonelier." "Central Booking" concludes the set with a wispy melody. "Emerald City" is music made by an individual vision. It lets me appreciate the music from outside without really feeling I've gotten to the heart of the emotional experience. Yet, it is undeniably gifted. Enjoy!"

Vanderslice continues his winning ways

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 04/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 2005, John Vanderslice released his fifth studio album, the brilliant "Pixel Revolt", which for me was one of the top albums of the year. The prolific Vanderslice (6 albums in 8 years) took his time for once, and took 2 years to come out with a follow-up album.



On "Emerald City" (9 tracks; 38 min.), we find a very different Vanderslice from "Pixel Revolt". Indeed, gone are the dreamy audio landscapes, and instead we get a much grittier and urgent sound. The lyrics of Vanderslice remain as difficult to penetrate and understand as ever, if not more so, although the main themes are dealing with the world as we know it post 9-11. I for one am not all that high on the actual lyrical content of songs, but more on how it sounds, and as mentioned before, this album sounds much more rooted in the everyday life than Pixel Revolt. Check out "Time to Go" or "White Dove", with a piercing guitar and stomping drums. The best songs of the album are actually found on the second half of the album: "The Tower", "The Minaret", "Numbered Lithograph" (with great lines like "You left me at the table to go to the ATM/I've never felt lonelier" while the song is awash in reverb) and the beautiful closer "Central Booking", the most reflective and introvert song on the album.



In all, while "Emerald City" is a very nice album, albeit not quite at the same height of "Pixel Revolt", but at 38 min. it's over before you know it and you want to play it again. Vanderslice remains an icon in the indie-rock community, and deservedly so. I saw Vanderslice recently in concert (opening up for Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks) and he and his band put on an outstanding 50 min. set, of course playing a lot of songs from "Emerald City". If you have a chance to see him live, don't miss him.

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