The most immediately noticeable difference that separates Romanian Names from John Vanderslice’s previous two records -- Emerald City and Pixel Revolt -- isn’t the whittled down track times or overall compact feel, but the absence of his previous lyrical fixation, September 11, 2001. Although his thoughts on the tragedy has pervaded his songwriting on the last two releases, Vanderslice never seemed like he was striving for importance or desperately clinging to comfortable, familiar territory. He sounded impassioned, indignant, and afraid, making himself profoundly vulnerable and yielding very fine albums in the process.
While it was probably a wise choice to move on to different subject matter, Romanian Names feels ultimately less consequential and less significant. The lyrics, as in many of his older songs, are often delivered from the voices of fabricated characters. But rather than the narrative style of “Tablespoon of Codeine” or “Trance Manual,” Vanderslice opts for vagary (“Carina Constellation,” “Too Much Time”). He also seems to write from his own perspective on several tracks, yet their abstractions keep the listener at arm's length. “Oblivion,” for instance, sees him contrite and asking forgiveness in the chorus, but the verses (“it’s 4 PM, bad shit is closing in,” for example) offer little in the way of explanation. While Vanderslice is surely capable of raw, candid songwriting (Pixel Revolt’s “Dead Slate Pacific” is a great example), he’s comparatively restrained on this album.
Despite being recorded in a basement instead of Vanderslice’s own Tiny Telephone studios in San Francisco, the production on Romanian Names is especially polished, remarkably far removed from his days recording on a four track. Still, his melodies are stronger than ever and carry an emotional weight even when the lyrics are obtuse. Much of the music here doesn’t stray far from basic singer-songwriter style fare (acoustic guitar or keyboard, bright keys, ultra-crisp drums), but he still crafts clever arrangements on several tracks. For example, the piano line on “Fetal Horses” effectively mimics the lyrics of hesitation by refusing to resolve how one might expect it to, and the disquietingly stark “Forest Knolls” uses an isolated, insistent bass pulse to animate the protagonist’s slightly tremulous ruminations on remorse.
However, without the desperate need for catharsis or some conceptual impetus behind the album, Romanian Names is relatively uninspired compared to other entries in Vanderslice’s catalogue. It's certainly an enjoyable collection of pop songs, but, unfortunately, it's mostly innocuous and not as remarkable as past efforts.
1. Tremble and Tear
2. Fetal Horses
3. C & O Canal
4. Too Much Time
5. D.I.A.L.O.
6. Forest Knolls
7. Oblivion
8. Sunken Union Boat
9. Romanian Names
10. Carina Constellation
11. Summer Stock
12. Hard Times
More about: John Vanderslice
