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- Summary: The singer-songwriter releases his first album on the Dead Oceans label after leaving Barsuk.
- Record Label: Dead Oceans
- Genre(s): Indie, Rock
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 15
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Mixed: 5 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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Not since Bon Iver’s "For Emma, Forever Ago" has there been such an accomplished album of torch songs.
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As for the claim that Romanian Names represents the pinnacle of Vanderslice's recorded output to date, the argument certainly holds water. The dozen songs are all inviting, catchy even, in their own way, and aurally consistent with the history of "sloppy hi-fi" production at Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio.
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Alternative PressThere's an overt embracement of vintage songcraft, and a few tracks would have certainly found welcoming ears in other eras. Be glad they're here now. [Jun 2009, p.102]
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By all accounts, a solid album; it’s just that we have come to expect better from someone with such a flawless back catalog.
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This is not Vanderslice’s most sonically adventurous record overall, but it does not need to be. His most powerful songs seem often, at first, the most unassuming.
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Something of a letdown by his own lofty standards, but still awfully good by anyone else's, John Vanderslice's Romanian Names is perhaps the singer-songwriter's most obtuse album.
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Q MagazineA unique, if impenetrable artists, Vanderslice deserves a wider audience. [Jun 2009, p.132]
Score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 0 out of 3
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RichardF.May 22, 2009His tightest, most accessible album to date. Ranks at the top of his list, not nearly as average as the reviews let on.
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LaunceRMay 22, 2009
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JRockMay 21, 2009JV is the stuff. The Horrors get an 82 and Vanderpuff gets a 71? Hype vs substance. Ding Ding, substance wins!
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