John Vanderslice

Item: Cellar Door
Author: Mike Leech

Cellar Door

(2004)

Reviewed by Mike Leech

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Label Barsuk RecordsDecapolisFebruary 2004

indie pop indie rock singer-songwriter

I was this close to giving this album four stars (I'm holding my thumb and index finger about an inch apart). THIS close (Now I'm holding them a little closer and shaking my hand a bit). I loved this record! Vanderslice can play a mean tune. Nearly every song on Cellar Door was expertly conceived, masterfully performed, and flawlessly produced. I can't stress enough how perfect the production is on this album. Vanderslice has always used the studio as a kind of accompanying instrument in his recordings and Cellar Door is no exception. The arrangements are densely layered but every note is crystal clear and everything comes out sounding like a billion bucks. Sometimes two billion.

Vanderslice fluctuates between a handful of styles on the album but manages to put his own unique stamp on each of them. The dark, mechanical sounds of "Up Above the Sea" bring to mind images of diligent robots working late hours in some futuristic factory, while "They Won't Let Me Run" sounds like it could be the opening number in a light-hearted buddy comedy. And the playfully juvenile "Lunar Landscapes" could just as soon have been written by Ringo Starr as one of the more schmaltzy tracks off of The White Album. Lyrically, Vanderslice's songs are often times so dark and off-the-wall that trying to decipher his writing might just end up being a waste of your time. It's tough to say if even he knows what he's singing about half the time (but that's not a bad thing).

If you're a fan of The Decemberists, Grandaddy, or Elliott Smith then do yourself a favor, drop everything--don't even finish reading this review--and go buy Cellar Door immediately. If you're not a fan of those guys, but are a fan of really good music, then you should also drop everything, but feel free to finish reading this review because it's almost done, and then go buy Cellar Door immediately.

3.5/4