Representative Albums: "Cellar Door," "Pixel Revolt," "Time Travel Is Lonely"
Biography
Growing up in Florida and Georgia before moving to Potomac, MD, at the age of 11, indie rock innovator John Vanderslice grew up listening to a mix of Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Kinks, and Southern rock, which instilled an eclectic musical vocabulary. Forced into piano lessons as a child, he eventually picked up the guitar in the eighth grade and formed several bands during his teen years. His songwriting added influences from David Bowie, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, King Crimson, XTC, and early Genesis, culminating in his five-year tenure with the much-heralded experimental pop band MK Ultra. Their collaboration produced three well-received albums and resulted in an opening spot on two Sunny Day Real Estate American tours. Vanderslice also started Tiny Telephone, a small recording studio, in 1997. Boasting a variety of respected and experienced house engineers, Tiny Telephone gained a reputation as an affordable recording outlet for San Francisco's indie rock community. It also produced Vanderslice's solo debut, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, in 2000. The album drew a substantial amount of critical praise for its meticulously crafted pop-perfect sound. The prolific Vanderslice issued the Time Travel Is Lonely and Life and Death of an American Fourtracker LPs over the next two years, and solidified his reputation as a literate, ever-curious songwriter and sonic technician. As he experimented with character-driven themes, he recorded the brilliantly convoluted Cellar Door in 2004 and Pixel Revolt in 2005, and after a series of tours, in July 2007 Barsuk Records released Emerald City, yet another highly conceptual and artistic endeavor, followed by Romanian Names in 2009. ~ Matt Fink, All Music Guide
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".[6] He has collaborated closely with Scott Solter in the production of his recent albums, with Pixel Revolt being notably shaped by Solter.
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.[7]
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."
On January 30, 2009, Vanderslice collaborated with Magik*Magik Orchestra for a sold-out show at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The orchestra, in a 30-piece configuration, played classic Vanderslice songs as well as new and unreleased material. The show was arranged by Minna Choi, a San Francisco Conservatory student. The show, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Tiny Telephone, featured Aesop Rock spinning records after the show.[8]
In March and April 2009, John Vanderslice participated with The Mountain Goats in the "Gone Primitive Tour". These shows featured both John Vanderslice and John Darnielle playing acoustic sets and then performing a set of collaborative material. In a review by the Boston Globe, Joan Anderman said, "Vanderslice is a sharp observer with a slanted perspective and whip-smart pop instincts, and his opening set was alluring." [9]
Vanderslice received many favorable reviews for Emerald City, which achieved a score of 80/100 on Metacritic.[10]Entertainment Weekly called the album "a gleaming gem" that doesn't disappoint.[11]. Billboard's review of the record called Vanderslice an "always perceptive lyricist."[12] Calling Vanderslice a "master story-teller", Matt Fink of Paste said that Emerald City was "vividly imagined yet subtle in tone, with conflicted character sketches unfolding around somber synth melodies, creaky electronic effects, and fuzzy acoustic guitar strums."[13]Q called Vanderslice a "unique, if impenetrable artist [who] deserves a wider audience."[14]
Why You All So Thief? (with Simon Joyner) ·Tropical Depression EP (with Furniture Huschle) ·Bedside Recordings Vol. 1.2 (with John Vanderslice) ·Black Pear Tree EP (with Kaki King) ·Moon Colony Bloodbath (with John Vanderslice)
