img src= http://www.chromewaves.net/images/interface/20070802johnVanderslice.jpg title= John Vanderslice class= blogPhoto The title of a href= http://www.johnvanderslice.com/ target= new title= John Vanderslice John Vanderslice's /a new album, a href= http://search.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=90804 p=INS36375 target= new title= Emerald City i Emerald City /i /a , doesn't refer to his A href= http://tinytelephone.com target= new title= Tiny Telephone Tiny Telephone /a studios in San Francisco, wherein he's worked sonic magic on records by the likes of a href= http://www.mountain-goats.com target= new title= Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats /a , a href= http://www.spoontheband.com target= new title= Spoon Spoon /a and A href= http://www.beulahmania.com target= new title= Beulah Beulah /a whilst wearing his pointed producer's hat. Instead, it's in reference to the A href= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Zone target= new title= Green Zone Green Zone in Baghdad /a and it's from this war zone that underscores that Vanderslice the singer-songwriter draws the themes of his latest song cycle. br / br / Vanderslice (does anyone else call him The 'Slice ?) has a tremulous voice that's well-suited to the melacholic melodies that suffuse i Emerald City /i . He sounds infused with a sense of anxiety, trepidation and apprehension that reflects the lyrical themes on the record - in particular the trials he's had to go through to try and get his French girlfriend a US visa. A distinctly personal struggle but considering that it can be tied rather directly to the post-9/11 Homeland Security policies, it's a personal struggle that speaks to the broader issues affecting his country. br / br / And as befits a recording by as accomplished a producer as he, i Emerald City /i is a sonic jewel. It's seems spare on the surface but further and closer listens reveal it to be suffused with little aural details and flourishes that sound simultaneously lo-fi, yet shimmering - like a banged-up chrome tailpipe rescued from a junkyard and polished to a gleaming shine. From the gentle beauty of Kookaburra through the relatively rocking White Dove to the slight electronic stutter of Tablespoon Of Codeine , i Emerald City /i is a treat for the headphone set and anyone who likes superb, slightly downtrodden pop songwriting. br / br / Vanderslice is touring i Emerald City /i hard, both on the information superhighway (does anyone still call it that?) and the real, paved one. For the former, he's engaging in a blog tour with video performances of a track from the album at each of A href= http://www.stereogum.com/archives/video/new-john-vanderslice-live-video-kookaburra.html target= new title= STereogum vs Vanderslice Stereogum /a , A href= http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/2007/07/white-dove-live-from-tiny-telephone.html target= new title= GvsB vs Vanderslice Gorilla Vs Bear /a , a href= http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2007/07/video_john_vand.html target= new title= Brooklynvegan vs John Vanderslice BrooklynVegan /a , a href= http://www.youaintnopicasso.com/2007/07/30/video-john-vanderslices-the-parade/ target= new title= YANP vs John Vanderslice You Ain't No Picasso /a and A href= http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/2007/07/john-vanderslice-time-to-go-live-at.html target= new title= MOKB vs Vanderslice My Old Kentucky Blog /a so far. Still to come are stops at A href= http://aquariumdrunkard.com/ target= new title= AAD An Aquarium Drunkard /a , A href= http://sixeyes.blogspot.com/ target= new title= Sixeyes Sixeyes /a , A href= http://www.catbirdseat.org/catbirdseat/ target= new title= CAtbirdseat Catbirdseat /a and right here, sometime next week. As for the real world tour, he's a href= http://johnvanderslice.com/html/shows.html target= new title= Vanderslice on tour all over North America /a in late September and early October, including a stop at the Horseshoe in Toronto on October 1. br / br / a href= http://www.aversion.com/bands/interviews.cfm?f_id=374 target= new title= Aversion vs Vanderslice Aversion /a , A href= http://www.daytrotter.com/features/907/john-vanderslice-a-character-actor-in-the-body-of-a-wisp-of-a-man Target= new title= Daytrotter vs Vanderslice Daytrotter /a and A href= http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/46320/saving-humanity-an-interview-with-john-vanderslice/ target= new title= PopMatters vs John Vanderslice PopMatters /a talk to Vanderslice about the record while a href= http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/random_rules_john_vanderslice target= new title= AV Club vs Vanderslice The AV Club /a puts his iPod on shuffle. a href= http://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2007/08/mp3s-john-vanderslice-in-cambridge-ma.htm target= new title= BA vs Vanderslice Bradley's Alamanac /a is sharing MP3s from a show in Boston from this past Spring, for those looking to get a taste of how he sounds live. I've seen him twice in the past and can testify he puts on a great live show without losing any of the quirks you'd think could only be captured in a studio setting. br / br / strong MP3: /strong A href= http://jv.vendaface.com/Vanderslice.White_Dove.mp3 title= White Dove John Vanderslice - White Dove /a br / strong Video: /strong A href= http://brentchesanek.com/jvttg.html target= new title= Time To Go John Vanderslice - Time To Go (MOV) /a br / strong Stream: /strong A href= http://www.barsuk.com/media/xspfwindow/bark066 target= new title= Emerald City John Vanderslice / i Emerald City /i /a br / strong MySpace: /strong A href= http://www.myspace.com/johnvanderslice target= new title= John Vanderslice John Vanderslice /a br / br / A href= http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id=1f32c9fc-f1df-4ad8-bf6c-60416452cf13 k=31829http://www.canada.com/cityguides/vancouver/story.html?id=1f32c9fc-f1df-4ad8-bf6c-60416452cf13 k=31829 target= new title= Canada.com vs St Vincent Canada.com /a , A href= http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/aznightbuzz/194210 target= new title= Arizona Star vs St Vincent i The Arizona Star /i /A and a href= http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-08-02/music/offbeat-but-right-on target= new title= Phoenix New Times vs St Vincent i The Phoenix New Times /i /a profile Vanderslice's tourmate from this past Spring A href= http://www.ilovestvincent.com target= new title= St Vincent St Vincent /a while a href= http://tinymixtapes.com/Zoop-Benefit target= new title= TMT Tiny Mix Tapes /a talked to Vanderslice clients The Mountain Goats at the benefit show for the a href= http://farmsanctuary.org/zoop/ target= new title= ZOOP! ZOOP! /a animal sanctuary. And A href= http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2007/08/thursday_the_dish_on_spoon.php target= new title= Express vs Spoon i Express /i /a has a conversation with Spoon, who've also put tunes to tape at Tiny Telephone. br / br / A href= http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/review.cfm?id=1180252007 target= new title= SoS vs Shins i Scotland On Sunday /i /a has an interview with James Mercer of a href= http://www.theshins.com target= new title= The shins The Shins /a . br / br / A href= http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/sounding-off/2007/07/31/1185647896726.html target= new title= The Age vs YYY i The Age /i /a Q As with Karen O of a href= http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/ target= new title= YYY The Yeah Yeah Yeahs /a about their new old EP, a href= http://search.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=90804 p=INS36430 target= new title= Is Is i Is Is /i /a and rumours of her posing for i Playboy /i . br / br / A href= Http://www.americanmary.com target= new title= The National The National /a have a sit-down with A href= http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/46386/grand-national-an-interview-with-the-national/ target= new title= PopMatters vs The National PopMatters /a and talk about paying their dues on the road, long before finding success and acclaim with their last two records. The band are in town on October 8 at the Phoenix and, presumably, will not be sleeping in any wet beds in hostels on the way. Support on this tour looks to be a href= http://www.dovemanmusic.com/ target= new title= Doveman Doveman /a , who will surely be joining the band on piano as well. br / br / Coming to Lee's Palace on September 22, A href= http://thealiens.musicblog.co.uk/ target= new title= The Aliens The Aliens /a , risen from the ashes of A href= http://www.betaband.com/ target= new title= Beta Band The Beta Band /a , and A href= http://www.augiemarch.com/ target= new title= Augie March Augie March /a , visiting from Australia. br / br / A href= http://music.aol.ca/article/music-festival-review/108/ target= new title= AOL Canada vs festivals AOL Music Canada /a does a compare and contrast of two of last weekend's music festivals, a href= Http://www.hillsidefestival.ca target= new title= Hillside Hillside /a and a href= http://www.rogerspicnic.com target= new title= Rogers Picnic The Rogers Picnic /a . br / br / A href= http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/DC/Greendale.html target= new title= Newsarama vs Greendale Newsarama /a reports that A href= Http://www.neilyoung.com target= new title= Neil Young Neil Young's /a 2003 album/movie/stage play a href= http://www.neilyoung.com/greendale_frames.html target= new title= Greendale i Greendale /i /a will come to life in yet another medium - the comic book. Vertigo will publish the graphic novel, written by Josh Dysart and illustrated by Sean Murphy, which instead of adapting the narrative of the film will instead tell a new story set in the fictional northern California town. br / br / A href= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1647474,00.html target= new title= Time vs Neil Gaiman i Time /i /a has a conversation with a href= http://www.neilgaiman.com target= new title= Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman /a , who will see the first big-screen Hollywood adaptation of one of his works next week with the release of A href= http://www.stardustmovie.com/ target= new title= Stardust i Stardust /i /a . I wasn't a huge fan of the graphic novel - it was pleasant but not especially inspiring - and the film looks about the same. But, as a matter of principle, I hope it does well. And I hope they never make a i Sandman /i film. br / br / strong Video: /strong A href= http://youtube.com/watch?v=UdW7rbcfGzs target= new title= Stardust i Stardust /i /a br / br / But the ARE making a i Watchmen /i film. Finally and perhaps unwisely, but it's happening. The A href= http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070731_watchmen_official_cast_announc.html target= new title= Watchmen cast cast has been announced /a and they unveiled A href= http://www.comics2film.com/g/displayimage.php?pos=-706 target= new title= Watchmen poster a poster /a by original series artist Dave Gibbons at Comic-Con this week. The principals involved seem alright and director Zack Snyder isn't a hack, but still. AMBIVALENCE. GREAT AMBIVALENCE. ...read full story