Following his return to West Virginia from Austin,
Daniel Johnston, along with producer and
Shimmy Disc proprietor
Kramer and the "Eye Band" (a group of
Johnston's hometown friends), recorded
Artistic Vice, an album filled with rough-hewn
pop/rock that despite its
lo-fi exterior was his most accessible release to date. His first full-length record fronting a band,
Artistic Vice's sound may be
lo-fi by most standards, but compared to
Johnston's earlier recordings it seems downright slick. With the opening declaration of
"My Life Is Starting Over," Johnston and company tear through 16 tunes that range from joyous and hopeful to sad and disturbing with unfettered garage-band fervor, attempting to cut through the troubled murk of the past several years of his life. Many of
Johnston's usual themes are present here, from his undying yet unrequited love for
Laurie, the wife of an undertaker, to Caspar [sic] the Friendly Ghost and battles with his own internal demons. The "Eye Band" does a credible job throughout, especially on the celebratory rockers
"My Life Is Starting Over" and
"I Killed the Monster," the uneasy edginess of
"The Startling Facts," the obsessive
"Love of My Life," irresistible pop of "Honey I Sure Miss You" and "Tell Me Now," and the garage
folk of
"I Know Caspar," providing them with a ragged but fitting frame.
Kramer does a good job of capturing
Johnston at this transitional period in both his career (this would be his last LP before signing with
Atlantic Records) and his life.
Artistic Vice is a consistently strong collection of songs that at times recalls the innocence of
Johnston's work prior to his breakdown, while at the same time dealing both with where he had been and where he was heading. [The 2024 reissue of Artistic Vice adds a second disc of previously unreleased songs recorded around the same time as those that made the cut for the final track listing. They are presented in full lo-fi glory and if there are no hidden gems uncovered - with the exception of the acapella "Ego Trip" -- it's still fascinating to hear Johnston's cast offs and early attempts.] ~ Brett Hartenbach
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