John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice
Romanian Names
(Dead Oceans, 2009)

On Romanian Names, the seventh album of his career, John Vanderslice doesn’t do much differently and yet he somehow does much better. In typical Vanderslice style, the production is as crisp as always, which is no doubt indebted to long-time collaborator Scott Solter. The lyrics remain detailed and lucid, yet just cryptic enough to keep us guessing at their exact meaning. The instrumentation, too, is just as typical—acoustic guitar and piano commingles with synths in a lovely and seamless way.

So what’s different? Vanderslice leaves the post-9/11 political paranoia of past albums behind, which is perhaps the most noticeable difference. The previous on-edge jitteriness is nearly absent, favoring a breezier, more laid-back sonic palette. Though that’s not to say Vanderslice is entirely complacent with our anxiety-ridden times—he’s just more at ease with them, yet he has no qualms about reminding us they still exist. Even the closing number “Hard Times”, a sorrowful ballad, is sung with a comforting peacefulness and ends with a minute-and-a-half of strings that pluck and mourn their way into oblivion.

While among his most accessible and catchy works, this is by no means a slutty album. And by ‘not slutty,’ I mean it refuses to completely reveal itself within the first listen. This is as meticulously crafted and multi-layered a listen as anything in his back catalog. Whether it’s the underlying, pitter-pat rhythms of “Forest Knolls” or the tinkling piano cadence of “Fetal Horses”, there is a lot to be discovered over repeat listens.

Even the most upbeat tracks continue to ruminate on his well-worn themes of love and loss, with just a dash of millennial dread. On “Fetal Horses”, he sings, “I live with another / I stole her from her lover / Fetal horses, gallop in the womb / Seeding courses in an empty room.” It’s dark, sure. Surreal, definitely. But it’s also tranquil and almost nostalgic. On “Sunken Union Boat”, one of many standouts, he sings a chorus of “It’s a trick of the mind” over jangly chords and sparkling synths, which could also work as a mantra for this entire album. That this sounds so modernly beautiful and comforting yet still contains reminders of impending terrors is a real feat.

The more stripped-down numbers are just as affecting. The acoustic title track is a moving story of a highly competitive gymnast falling in love. Under two minutes long, it’s brief and fleeting, but probably among the most gorgeous songs he’s ever written. As is “Too Much Time”, another sparse song about wanting to find and reconnect with someone you probably never will, in which he comes to the devastating conclusion that “freedom is overrated.”

It’s odd that someone so deep into their career, even one as remarkably consistent and underrated as Vanderslice’s, can make an album that can easily be considered one of his best. Hopefully, Romanian Names is only indicative of greater things to come.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

Tags: John Vanderslice, Romanian Names, Dead Oceans