John Vanderslice is a one-time producer of, and a collaborator with, The Mountain Goats but he has a string of solo albums to his name as well. He's a good story-teller, with a distinctive voice, and original arrangements. The reviews, and there aren't many, of this album all focus on the fact that it was written after his French girlfriend was refused a US visa. In fact, it seem much more about 9/11 and the reaction to it, which he seems to blame for the rejection. The album isn't preachy, or political, and he uses some wonderful images of the twin towers and minarets before turning to his loneliness and despair about the visa in the last two songs, Numbered Lithograph and Central Booking.
I should say that I nearly didn't get past the first track. It's amazing how one line in a song can put you on edge and I always brace myself when listening to Dylan's Street Legal for "can you cook and sew, make flowers grow." It's just so corny. Well, Vanderslice comes up with something about kookaburras and frangepani trees which is equally bad but, once that's out of the way, you're in safe hands.
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