John Vanderslice News, Tour & MP3s
John Vanderslice is a great guy. He always responds to fan emails, actually listens to the mixes and CDs given to him by fans on tour, and even let his fans name his backing band on (John Vanderslice & Photographs) on his last tour, making him one of the most accessible and interactive stars in indie rock. On top of all this, he does a great job of keeping his fans happy, releasing an excellent video and remix for “Exodus Damage”, a new single/EP for “Trance Manual”, and launching a full-fledged North American tour this spring, all hot on the heels of his last album, Pixel Revolt, which was released last fall.
NEW “EXODUS DAMAGE” REMIX
Remix artist Alias has composed a wonderful new remix for Vanderslice’s “Exodus Damage”, which strips away much of the rhythm section of the original in favor of atmospheric synths and Vanderslice’s hushed vocals. The remix really hits its stride at the 1:20 mark when the reverberating guitar strum breaks the muted tone of the songs opening bars and Vanderslice’s vocals are brought out of the dreamy haze and brought to the front of the mix. Fuzzy, swirling, and beautiful, Alias’s remix is one of the best of the year so far, and the kind folks at Barsuk are offering it as a free download, so be sure to grab it below.
MP3: “Exodus Damage” (Alias Remix) - John Vanderslice
“EXODUS DAMAGE” VIDEO
While not a new video, Brent Chesanek’s 2005 clip for “Exodus Damage” was one of the best and most compelling videos of last years, so much so that it garnered the #34 spot on my Top 65 Music Videos of 2005 list and warrants mention again here. Chesanek’s stirring clip has a great washed-out, retro feel to the cinematography, and all the still shots of America possess a subtle potency that for some reason really resonates with the viewer. The 9/11 theme of the song is reflected beautifully in the video, but I can’t figure out if the kid’s a terrorist and he’s plotting things to blow up or if he’s trying to solve a mystery or what exactly. I just really love the look of this clip, and I think it represents the song perfectly. Download it below in .mov format, or head over to Videoteque and download the video in iPod-compatible .m4v format here. Also, according to JV, Chesanek “just completed a mind-blowing video for ‘Trance Manual’”, which he’ll post “as soon as I can”, so everyone can go ahead and get excited for that as well.
Video: “Exodus Damage” - John Vanderslice [highly recommended]
NORTH AMERICAN SPRING TOUR
[click picture to enlarge image and see full tour dates]
Vanderslice has also recently launched a full-fledged North American tour, and fortunately for my fellow UVA cohorts and I, V-Slice and tour-mates Page France will be rolling through Charlottesville on May 1st. While I’m not quite as in love with Page France as the rest of the blogsophere, I’m definitely thoroughly excited to see them, and you can download three of my favorite songs, including the impeccable “Chariot”, by them below. Also, Vanderslice released a fully downloadable live set from his show at San Francisco’s The Independent last year, and my three favorite tracks from that are available for download below as well (or feel free to download the entire set as a .zip file here).
MP3s:
“Chariot” - Page, France [highly recommended]
“Spine” - Page France
“We Remain As Two” - Page France
How much does vocalist Michael Nau sound like Ben Gibbard on “We Remain As Two”? It’s ridiculous, really.
MP3s: (Live at The Independent, 11.05.05)
“Trance Manual” (Live) - John Vanderslice
“Exodus Damage” (Live) - John Vanderslice
“Pale Horse” (Live) - John Vanderslice
NEW RELEASES!
The past month has seen two new releases from Mr. Vanderslice, the iTunes-exclusive Trance Manual EP and Suddenly It All Went Dark, a live album featuring only Vanderslice, his acoustic guitar, and his voice, recorded to a 2-track in a chicken coop in California. In actuality, the Trance Manual EP is really only the album version of “Trance Manual”, accompanied by four 2-track recordings from Suddenly It All Went Dark, so feel free to grab those four tracks below as a Suddenly It All Went Dark sampler of sorts.
MP3s:
“Angela” (Live to 2-track) - John Vanderslice
“Dead Slate Pacific” (Live to 2-track) - John Vanderslice
“Farewell Transmission” (Live to 2-track) - John Vanderslice
“Trance Manual” (Live to 2-track) - John Vanderslice
Finally, being the stand-up guy that he is, Vanderslice has a huge archive of free mp3s culled from all of the releases in his lengthy discography available for download directly from his website. Thus, I’ve taken the liberty of selecting my favorites and linking to them for download below, so feel free to grab them with a guilt-free conscience.
MP3s: [free downloads from JohnVanderslice.com]
“Trance Manual” - John Vanderslice
“Exodus Damage” - John Vanderslice [highly recommended]
“Pale Horse” - John Vanderslice [highly recommended]
“They Won’t Let Me Run” - John Vanderslice
“Me and My 424″ - John Vanderslice
“Time Travel Is Lonely” - John Vanderslice
Too much John Vanderslice? Never.