Chad VanGaalen's Sub Pop debut is a refreshing
new addition to contemporary music, essentially because
it can't be pegged. Amongst scenes and trends,
Infiniheart stands alone. Melding big, weary
Fleetwood Mac-esque emotion to stretched-out
arrangements, both electronic and folk, the Canadian
singer/songwriter's power lies in his dedication
to his own individuality.
While the 16-track
record's best song is doubtless the stirring,
emotionally-charged opener "Clinically Dead," the
album does not lose strength as you move deeper into
it; nor does it feel like one long song. The narrator
behind the depressed, folk-y "After the Afterlife" is
disappointed in people who are not paying attention to life: "You are not awake/
You
are not awake," VanGaalen repeats, with sadness in his
voice, atop intimate acoustic strumming. The
instrumental "J.C.'s Head on the Cross"
demonstrates VanGaalen's knack for beat-heavy Kid
A-ish experimentation, while "Echo Train" rides on
the main riff behind The Who's version of "Crimson and Clover,"
and features the album's most loud, crashing
moments.
Lyrically, VanGaalen — who plays all the
instruments on Infiniheart — questions all the
biggies: life, love and loss. And while they tackle big
matters, his carefully chosen words are accessible
enough to be touching. Birds chirp in the background of
"The War Zone/ Hidden Bridge" while VanGaalen's
high-pitched, breathy coos sit up front, alongside
glitchy beats, funky organ and xylophone tinkering.
For more than a decade, VanGaalen has been crafting
unique, soulful songs in his bedroom; with
Infiniheart he's arrived with a folk-y yet modern
collection that's truly hard not to like.
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