I’ve delayed this post for far, far too long. My story of finding out about Mr. Van Gaalen is almost as sporadic as his music.
Anyway, I was listening to an online music station that was centered out of Chicago during one of my more desperate moments of paper writing last semester. During this period I was convinced that making a list of all these great songs, was more beneficial than actually completing this report.
Anyway, by the end I had a list compiled of about 10 great songs, yet I still didn’t write down the address of the station and it is forever lost to me, like a one off phantasm, kinda. So, I decided to borrow some of these songs using LimeWire, and the only one that I found was “Clinically Dead” by Van Gaalen. I liked the song and later that week I saw the video on the Wedge, Chad himself had even done all the animation.
Anyway, it kinda slipped out of my mind during exam week. After the exams I was gift shopping at HMV and I saw the Chad’s CD which was out of place when I was looking for the new McCartney CD (gift for my Mom). You think I would buy it then but no, I would never pay $30 for a CD period, no matter how “animated” it was. After a while I was looking up some local talent because the concert scene was dry, and some chick I was seeing wanted to go to a concert, I came across the familiar name of Chad Van Gaalen. I though what the fuck; he’s from Calgary, I read on, he used to busk in the streets of Calgary? Ahhh shit. So I now had to buy the CD.
Anyway what is my verdict, eclectic, very eclectic. They truly are gems but gems that only shine when your in bed at night and devoting your entire attention to it. I was originally pissed about some of the cheesy lyrics but when you actually notice how they work to accent the direction of the music, it’s fucking crazy. What is it like? This is always a hard question but I would call it the doom and gloom chords of Elliot Smith and Neil Young mixed with the occasional irreverent, optimistic beauty of the Flaming Lips (I mean this guy makes his own instruments how could I not compare the two) all put into a blender called Sonic Youth (The occasional irony invites the comparison). It’s been two weeks and I am still trying to fully fathom the experience.Doesn’t the girl in that fucking babysitter slasher movie seem like the worst actress since Chiaro.
