VANDERSLICE, JOHN

Personnel: Ian Bjornstad, David Douglas, Scott Solter, David Broecker.

When indie purists decry the state of pop radio and the tastes of the record-buying public, John Vanderslice is just the type of artist they are defending. A one-man cyclone of talent, Vanderslice can write, sing, perform, and record pop music as well as anybody, but a variety of factors (his age and looks, and his sometimes challenging production choices, among other factors) keep him from the Billboard Top Ten, a spot in which he undoubtedly deserves to be. EMERALD CITY--his sixth solo full-length for Barsuk--is his best record to date and the culmination of his many talents.

Reportedly recorded when his longtime Parisian girlfriend was denied a visa into the United States, EMERALD CITY--despite its title--reacts to a world that is anything but a fairytale, with a song cycle about terrorism, paranoia, police tactics, isolation, and medication all slyly encrusted with crystals of hummable melody and studio trickery. "Kookaburra," the album's lead-off track, perfectly illustrates this sleight-of-hand: the song has light-on-its-feet harmonies and an AM-friendly chorus but is clearly about the destruction of a building via terrorism. This theme continues throughout the record culminating with the stand-out single "Time to Go" and the beautifully emotive ballad that closes the record, "Central Booking."

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