Cellar Door

John Vanderslice

Barsuk Records

… Cellar Door

John Vanderslice

Barsuk Records

Recommended if you like: Indie-pop and/or emo experiments

According to “Donnie Darko,” scholars once said that the words “cellar door” were the most perfect pair of words in the English language. John Vanderslice’s new record, Cellar Door, doesn’t quite reach that magnificent peak, but it’s still a pretty solid record.

The clumsy rhythm of the opening track, “Pale Horse,” kicks off the disc with a galloping feel. Throughout the CD, you’ll find the usual guitars, drums, bass and vocals, but you’ll also hear keyboards and electronic drums. Vanderslice really sets himself apart from other singers and songwriters with his unique work. The songs have delightful hooks, and he really varies the tempo and styles, writing ambient pieces such as “Wild Strawberries,” complete with reverse samples and distinguished by his sullen voice. He then switches to acoustic folk with songs like “My Family Tree,” only to change to a delightfully poppy sound in “They Won’t Let Me Run.” And the best part is that he doesn’t seem like he’s forcing these styles; rather, he lets them flow naturally without wearing himself too thin.

The fact that Vanderslice toured with other well-known bands, such as Sunny Day Real Estate, The Mountain Goats, Pedro the Lion, should let most know that he could be a household name at any point, at least as far as the indie and emo scene are concerned. Formerly in the experimental indie-pop band MK Ultra – which, despite the fact that I’m well-versed in the annals of indie music, even I am not familiar with – Vanderslice went solo shortly after building a 1700-square-foot analog recording studio.

And the solo route seems to be suited to him, as this record is pretty damn good. As mentioned previously, Vanderslice worked plenty of variation into this album, allowing for the imagination to wander while actively listening to this album. It’s mellow enough to play as background music, yet adventurous enough to actively listen to. At times, his voice even hits sounds reminiscent of Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and (the artists formerly known as) The Postal Service.

Delightfully poppy, but bittersweet enough in lyrical content to avoid coming off as a contrived record, Cellar Door does what it can to stand out from the pack. As long as Vanderslice keeps his material varied, he should find plenty of success without being pigeonholed and written off as yet another indie-pop nobody. This is a good record to put on for these cold February nights, for sure.