Music Review: “Raw Wood” by John Vanderslice


TRACK 1

“Raw Wood”

From John Vanderslice’s Dagger Beach

SELF-RELEASED

Liner notes: “One day the pain will pass on from me to you,” sighs John Vanderslice, as disjointed drums and ghostly backing vocals boost the unease on this post-breakup ballad.

Behind the music: The founder of San Francisco’s Tiny Telephone studio, Vanderslice has produced for the Mountain Goats, Samantha Crain, and Spoon. He worked on the album’s lyrics while hiking in California’s Point Reyes National Seashore.

Check it out if you like: Anxious but articulate types, such as Thom Yorke, David Byrne, and Joanna Newsom.

This review originally appeared in our July/August issue of Mother Jones. 

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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