“I piss you off in slanted rhyme, walk away in 3/4 time”

I’ve pimped John Vanderslice to assorted people with varying success, but I saw him last night at the Doug Fir here in Portland, and HOLY SHIT, he’s good. It was the first show of his that I’d gone to, and it certainly won’t be the last; the music was gorgeous, there was some very witty repartee and much hilarity was had with a recorded horn riff sample.

I also realized I’ve become the kind of fan who sings along to every song—and does it noticeably enough that somebody comes up to me after the show and remarks on it. *headdesk*

Anyway. Please give John Vanderslice a chance. The instrumentation on his music is gorgeous, the songs beautifully and cleverly crafted, and I’m pretty sure they’ll cure cancer while giving you really, really good head. Or something. If you’re curious about what genre he falls under, I guess indie-folk-electro-rock might come close, but he’s that rarest of beasts: he really doesn’t sound like anyone or anything else out there. He has loads of nifty MP3s you can download from his website, so try before you buy, etc. All his albums are good, but my three favorites are Time Travel is Lonely, Life and Death of an American Four-Tracker and Cellar Door.

One of his opening bands, Crystal Skulls, is also amaza-crazy good. So good that the friend I went to the show with bellied up to the merch counter after the concert and bought their latest release. Their music is pretty and jangly and clever, with just the right touch of retro pop, the lead singer kinda looks like a younger, hotter and not-so-much-with-the-Parkinson’s version of Michael J. Fox, and the drummer and bassist make the most hilarious faces at each other while they play (they goofed around so much, the drummer almost fell off his seat; he bounced around quite adorably while trying to maintain his balance, all without missing a beat). What’s not to love? They’re playing two more shows this year in Portland, and I’m pretty freakin’ excited.

And speaking of opening bands, I saw Rogue Wave open for Nada Surf a few months ago, and I was very impressed. I finally got around to getting their debut, Out of the Shadow, last week, and I really, really like it. If The Flaming Lips made sweet, sweet love to the ghost of Elliot Smith while wearing Simon and Garfunkel drag, the bastard child of that beautiful union might make music that comes close to what Rogue Wave sound like. I can’t wait to get my mitts on their next album, Descended Like Vultures.

In summary: please give these bands a chance and throw some money their way, either by getting their CDs or checking out their live shows should you be lucky enough to be graced with their presence. I won’t say you won’t regret it, because for all I know you might have appalling taste, but if you like indie-ish rock/pop, there’s a better-than-average chance you’ll like these guys.