Bumbershoot 2008: Three-Sentence Review of John Vanderslice

John Vanderslice rawkin' out, Rockstar Energy Drink Stage, 6 p.m.

It took a little while for me to get warmed up at John Vanderslice, where I initially misinterpreted the rapt crowd's motionless stoicism as lack of interest, probably because I spent the first part of yesterday in a glorious melee of some of the most enthusiastic rump-shaking I've ever witnessed. But then, as Vanderslice sang "Tablespoon of Codeine" from his latest record, Emerald City, I noticed a girl near me swaying ever so slightly, mouthing all the words, and I realized: this crowd was so quiet and motionless because they were completely enraptured, and with good reason. Quietly, and without artifice, John Vanderslice makes some of the most lyrically sophisticated pop music of our time, and if you missed it yesterday, he's performing at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard tonight at 7.