Pitchfork

Like former tourmate and collaborator Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice has a reputation for being one of indie-rock's nice guys. Maybe it's because both Vanderslice and Mountain man John Darnielle value words enough to choose them wisely. Lyrics are again the focus of "White Dove", the advance MP3 from Vanderslice's forthcoming sixth solo album, Emerald City. But the story those lyrics tell-- like the electric guitar that squeals over the prechoruses-- is full of anger and anguish, emotions that also cropped up on the 9/11-related tracks from 2005's Pixel Revolt.

On "White Dove", Vanderslice sets up a contrast between that symbol for peace and the troubled, violent content of the verses. Vanderslice's narrator meets his new neighbor and sits, in a lovely detail, on her veranda. However, a simple question-- "Do you have any children?"-- causes the air to change and grief to stream over the neighbor's face. She tells the story of her daughter, who disappeared and was brutally murdered. "It's not about mercy/ It's not about tears anymore," the neighbor says, and Vanderslice must grapple with both her desire for righteous vengeance and the human capacity to commit such unspeakable acts. "What are you thinking of?" he concludes, unable to find resolution.

MP3: > John Vanderslice: "White Dove"
[from Emerald City; due 07/24/07 on Barsuk]