The most noteworthy thing about John Vanderslice's new album is this: "Romanian Names" is the best record he's made to date. The 12 songs represent a career-defining moment, a pitch-perfect collection written and recorded with the utmost care and attention. Vanderslice is certainly not the first artist to make such a leap several albums into a career - think Guided by Voices on Bee Thousand, Spoon's Kill the Moonlight or Of Montreal's Sunlandic Twins. JV's newest, his first for Dead Oceans, makes that colossal step and separates itself from an already top-notch body of work. Throughout "Romanian Names", JV sings with a newfound, unwavering confidence. He gets right at you with the sing-along choruses and punchy hooks of album opener "Tremble and ... read more