Life & Death of an American Fourtracker
Take one engineer-singer-songwriter of vision, depth, and appeal, grappling with the great ontological and epistemological questions of post-modernism and the Enlightenment. Add Sloppy Hi-FiT, rhythm, melody, diverse instrumentation, a compelling storyline, and extra lyrics from cult punk-folk hero John Darnielle (Mountain Goats, Extra Glenns). Bring far-flung indie rocker friends together from bands likeSpoon,Death Cab for Cutie,Beulah,Mates of State,Kind of Like Spitting, and theCourt and Spark, and trust these musicians to do what they know best. What do you get? John Vanderslice's third solo (yet collaborative) concept album, a satirical rocker about an American artist "gone crackers" and "washed up" by 19. These are 12 songs about muses, metaphysics, drugs, four-trackers, and suicide. Vanderslice named his first album after aNeutral Milk Hotellyric; this time out, fans of the enigmatic should look for references toMarcel Duchamp, theMicrophones, theDanielson Famile,Yes, and William Blake, whose poetry on the pain of existence is used as a framing device.--Jillian Steinberger