"John Vanderslice's newest pop opera, Life And Death Of An American Fourtracker introduces the Holden Caulfield of bedroom four-track recordings. Weaving the saga of the eccentric ex-boyfriend of his sister into a psychedelic odyssey, Vanderslice re-imagines art rock for the modern age. Shedding the typical prog-rock pitfall of overplaying, this album instead relies on production craftsmanship and individual vision. Musically, the album floats and morphs as intoxicatingly as a film score, while his emotive voice acts out the roles in this sublime suburban fable. Vanderslice's affinity for analog recording in his own Tiny Telephone studio gives Life And Death a homespun feel while achieving a lush, vibrant sound. The love song to equipment, "Me And My 424," should make readers of Tape-Op and gear heads everywhere weep. Themes of alienation and creative oddity combined with the concept-album format make Pete Townsend and Roger Waters comparisons inevitable. However, the lack of pretension and high-school theatrics insure no one will be referencing laughable attempts at the story album such as Styx's Kilroy Was Here."  (CMJ)

"At the core, [John Vanderslice's] songs fit squarely in the realm of 60's-influenced melodic pop, with a strong emphasis on vocal harmony and clever musical twists. But somewhere between Vanderslice's head and my CD player, everything got a little bit weird. Faux-industrial beats mix with piano, pedal steel guitar, multi-tracked vocals, found sounds, unusual synths, and the occasional string or horn section to create some truly inventive and fully-formed gems. No two tracks sound quite the same, and with the exception of one that strays into Neutral Milk Hotel territory, none sound quite like any other indie pop out there."  (Bettawreckonize.com)

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