John Vanderslice - Emerald City
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Free Music Notes for Emerald City
Free Music Review: Emerald City
Hit: 5 Stars
I listen to this album more than most of my other new albums. I just do.Free Music Review: It all comes together, beautifully
Hit: 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.Free Music Review: Vanderslice continues his winning ways
Hit: 4 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.
Free Music Review: lush apocalypse
Hit: 5 Stars
Love it, especially the first track "Kookaburra", which seems to wrap together the seemingly opposite qualities of goosebump-inducing beauty and destruction. Of course, I've always felt that danger and beauty go together.
I'm not sure why the background instruments on "White Dove" are distorted, but it's a cool song too.
Best CD I've bought in a long time.
Free Music Review: Exceptional As Always
Hit: 5 Stars
JV has an exellent track record regarding his records, and Emerald City in no different. Anybody who's a fan of his music knows his music is way better than almost anything that plays on the radio. I have almost all his records, and this is among his best, though the exceptional Cellar Door is by far the best of his career, thus far. What struck me about Emerald City is it's exceptional melodic structure, incompairably beautiful harmonies, and poetic lyrics (all of which are staples of JV's unique style). It's not as immediately accessible as Pixel Revolt (thus the negitive reviews), but if you give it some time, you'll grow it love it just as much. Basicly, anybody who's a fan of JV's music should definately buy it, but someone who's not very filmiliar with his music should probably get Pixel Revolt first.
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