It has been widely speculated, most notably in the film Donnie Darko, that “cellar door” is the most beautiful phrase in the English language. Naturally, any musician with the confidence to use these two notable words as the title for his album would be labeling his work as pleasing. John Vanderslice does just this on his fourth solo effort, and for good reason. Cellar Door is one of the finest recordings of the young year.
Vanderslice, a former member of the critically-acclaimed indie band MK Ultra, dabbles in all forms of indie pop on his latest release. From the Pavement-inspired lo-fi “Pale Horse” to the somber “When it Hits my Blood,” Vanderslice has created a wonderful collection of bittersweet tracks. Cellar Door even slows down the tempo on the slow, quiet “My Family Tree,” a song along the lines of the sadder Death Cab for Cutie songs. “They Won’t Let me Run” is a powerful track, heavy on percussion and tempts your foot to tap.
While it is easy to simply classify Vanderslice as a singer-songwriter, this comparison falls terribly short in describing the breadth and depth of the music he composes. Incorporating Flaming Lips style keyboards and synthesizers, driving bass, horns, and harmonic vocals, Cellar Door proves to be layered yet uncluttered pop voyage. Vanderslice even experiments with ambient sounds; the intro to “Promising Actress” sounds incredibly similar to Aphex Twin’s eerie “Hedphylem.”
Whereas the music on Cellar Door has great variation, Vanderslice’s lyrics focus exclusively on familial relationships and small-town life. Vanderslice voices frustration on “They Won’t Let You Run,” a tale of a son whose parents forbid him from moving away from their hometown. “My Family Tree,” one of the album’s darker songs, finds Vanderslice dealing with the death of his parents as he laments, “My family tree is me / Now I’m set free.”
The climax of Cellar Door, however, is definitely “When it Hits my Blood,” a track inspired by the film Requiem for a Dream. The harmony between the trumpet and Vanderslice’s voice during the chorus is breathtaking and a fine refrains. While each of these characteristics add up to an outstanding album, there’s an even simpler reason why Cellar Door is a great listen: It’s just beautiful.
