John Vanderslice — Romanian Names

John Vanderslice's latest album is smooth without being insipid and displays a musical pedigree that harkens back to the dramatic singles of the mid- to late '60s from the dynamic Walker Brothers. More recent comparisons would be early '90s band Cardinal and the latter offshoots of its two members, Richard Davies and Eric Matthews. Either way, Vanderslice marvelously navigates the chamber pop sub-genre here.

Right from opening track "Tremble And Tear," Vanderslice and producing partner Scott Solter recognize the strength of the artist's storytelling smarts and power to convey these modern slices of life. The focal point is Vanderslice's trembling, spacious voice, which is well-accented by multi-tracked harmony vocals, mainly laid down by Vanderslice. With studio mimicry, the album's vocal output comes close to matching the haunting choral tone best exemplified by big vocal bands like The Polyphonic Spree.

The musical accompaniment is light and unassuming. Crisp piano notes shimmer on the haunting songs "Fetal Horses" and the title track. Various subtle percussion and keyboard instruments inhabit the spaces in "Too Much Time" and "Summer Stock," successfully expanding the variety of the album's musical palette. "C & O Canal," named after an early 19th century canal connecting the Potomac and Ohio rivers, could easily be mistaken for a Sufjan Stevens contribution on a future album called either Maryland or Pennsylvania.

While both the upbeat "Sunken Union Boat" and 'D.I.A.L.O." are great, they're overshadowed by the brilliant haunting pop classic (in the making) "Carina Constellation." If there truly was a God, or at least public airwaves controlled by the public, this would be the song appearing in movies 20 years from now depicting the great green shift of the first decade of the 21st century.

The magnificent blend of lyrical nostalgia and musical trailblazing marks Romanian Names as the first pop masterpiece of 2009.

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