John Vanderslice is indie rock's most underrated boy genious. On his 2001 Barsuk release "Time Travel is Lonely," Vanderslice takes us through Antartica with lyrics supposedly based off of letters his brother sent back from an journey to the frozen continent to the south.

What makes Vanderslice's work so amazing is his creative use of music. Most instruments he uses are standard: percussion/drums, bass, keyboards, guitars, and a little trumpet every once and a while. The difference is that Vanderslice orchestrates the music into poppy charts that deviate from your standard 4/4 indie/emo tracks.

From the opening acoustic riff of "you were my fiji," to the cheap sounding keyboard drum pattern in "gainesville, fla.," I was not disappointed once. The lyrics fit perfectly in how they're sung to complement his musical inventions. While most lines follow simple rhyme, they seem new and inventive, and even still poetic when paired with Vanderslice's soothing melodies.

Either you will love John Vanderslice, or you will hate him. What truly matters is that you give him (and this CD specifically) a solid listen. That is all. End transmission.