“Jacket”
from the album The Moonstation House Band
2007
iTunes
MP3 – “Jacket” [right-click/save-as]
Michigan singer-songwriter David Vandervelde began recording The Moonstation House Band three years ago, when he moved into ex-Wilco keyboardist Jay Bennett’s Chicago studio at the ripe old age of nineteen. True to its groovy title, The Moonstationn features reverb-drenched roots rock driven by Vandervelde’s shaggy vocals and guitar. He manages to be both highbrow and homespun: “Can’t See Your Face No More” is a plea to win his girl back from her “crooked lover,” Jesus Christ; “Nothin’ No” is a porch-rock ode to booze and summer love. Vandervelde does better with uptempo tracks like “Jacket” than he does on heavy-handed snoozers like “Corduroy Blues” and “Moonlight Instrumental,” but this house band deserves a residency — or at least a follow-up album.