Infiniheart

Chad VanGaalen's Infiniheart is at once sappy, sentimental, overwrought, and filled with falsetto vocals. Normally these are things that would lead to my avoidance of the album on principle, but unfortunately it's just way too good. I really had no choice but to buy the album after hearing it's opening track, "Clinically Dead". By the time I heard the bouncy rhythm of the first verse break in to the xylophone and distortion pedal laden chorus, my critical defences had been breached. (And the chorus even includes the phrase "Dream on" repeated a few times! I mean, seriously!). The rest of the album, which mostly consists of VanGaalen himself playing all of the instruments in addition to recording the songs, has this great claustrophobic feel to it. There's also a kind of science fiction, dystopian future theme mixed with other pretty bleak subject matter, giving the album a kind of melancholy thematic unity. The arrangements are dense but very organic sounding, despite the frequent use of sequenced drums and synths. Supposedly, a number of the dozens of instruments he plays on the album were homemade, including a violin, finger piano, harp, and clarinet - which doesn't really surprise me given the fact that he's obviously ridiculously talented.

He's not an artist that readily lends himself to comparisons, but at least a few come to mind when I'm listening. Musically, I kind of hear a more subdued Grandaddy circa the Sophtware Slump or a more folk-inspired Flaming Lips Soft Bulletin. I also hear a similarity with the lonely-epicness of Modest Mouse's This is a Long Drive album, although the two albums really sound nothing alike. Infiniheart is all over the place, though, so I imagine bad critics like me could probably get away with comparing it to any indie rock album from the last ten years.

VanGaalen's Canadian label, Flemish Eye Records, has been kind enough to post three fairly representative MP3s off of the album for your listening pleaure, so here they are.

Chad VanGaalen - Clinically Dead

Chad VanGaalen - Somewhere, I know there's nothing

Chad VanGaalen - Traffic

I think the album has been available in Canada for more than a year now, but it will soon see US release on Sub Pop.