Tune In Saturdays: John Vanderslice

San Francisco's John Vanderslice, a renowned producer and indie popster in the vein of Neutral Milk Hotel, just released his latest album, Emerald City. The name itself, a reference to the Green Zone in Iraq, is a pretty good indication you're getting yourself into a few politically-charged tunes. Powerful and brooding, it's a somewhat understandably sullen effort, but it's just enough parts hopeful and optimistic to keep it upbeat in the same breath.

From Aversion:

"With Emerald City, Vanderslice doesn't let go of his legacy as an underground powerhouse, but he finally bolsters it with the sort of accessibility and downright impressive songwriting that makes it easier to respect him as a songwriter rather than an icon. Polishing up his chops and his lyrical focus, Vanderslice runs through Emerald City -- an opus largely inspired at his beef with 9/11 politics that helped play a role in denying his French girlfriend a visa -- with a determination and direction that never quite gelled on his previous efforts. And what's more, Vanderslice still finds room for all the clever arrangements, subtleties and recording nuances that made his last albums favorites."

Home.MySpace.

You can stream the entire album both here, and from the MySpace page, but, as usual, here's a taster.

John Vanderslice - Tablespoon of Codeine (mp3)
John Vanderslice - The Tower (mp3)
John Vanderslice - Time to Go (video)