Rockin' Our Turntable: David Vandervelde

By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 11, 2008 8:30PM

Brooklyn-by-way-of-Chicago native David Vandervelde may not be "rockin'" our turntable so much this afternoon as making it dream of breaking free from the confines of the office and dozing off on a bed of poppies and clover. Both are equally appealing on a lovely summer day, so crank up the computer speakers and join us.

Vandervelde's swaggering, glammy, oddly lush little rock EP The Moonstation House Band (Secretly Canadian) was as auspicious an introduction to an artist as one sees on the independent scene anymore, with the young Midwesterner's impeccable influences - from T. Rex to Nick Drake - on full display over the short course of seven songs. The crush of expectation seemed to get to the 22-year-old at first, and he struggled to find an identity as a live act. Now, a year and a half post-Moonstation, Vandervelde appears to have settled into his new life both as a Brooklynite and as a soft rocker.

Don't get us wrong - while the Stones-y, dirty brashness of the '07 model DV was a fun jolt of unpretentious devotion to rocknroll, the more focused '08 incarnation finally has the confidence to deliver the kind of music he was meant to. Drawing from the rich, warm tones of 60's and 70's AM golden hits and displaying Vandervelde's fine ear for harmony, "I Will Be Fine" is hopefully a sign of great things to come from the forthcoming full-length.

Mark your iCals (Ed. note: Or GCals!) to catch David and band live at Schubas on July 27th.

MP3: David Vandervelde - I Will Be Fine

Photo from the artist's Myspace