This 'Diaper' is worth a sniff

Canada has really got it going on. Whether it be the Grammy award winning Arcade Fire, the slew of lesser-known acts such as Vancouver’s Destroyer or Montreal’s Miracle Fortress, the country has not ceased to deliver great music in the past couple of years.

Case in point: Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen reached many listeners with his album “Soft Airplane” in 2008, a record full of unique and delicate tunes that were as catchy as they were heartfelt and powerful. With his new album, “Diaper Island,” VanGaalen slows down the tempo and intensity of his earlier work.

Despite the name, the album shows a more hushed and serious side of the musician’s writing. Tamed songs like “Sara” and “Wandering Spirits” give the pace for the record and have VanGaalen’s signature vocal treatment on top of spaced out noise and hiss made by who knows what — VanGaalen is well known for employing his own home-made equipment on records.

In “Freedom For a Policeman,” the most danceable and rocking song on the album, VanGaalen sings of a policeman’s brutal assault on an individual then belts out in the chorus: “freedom and love/flowers blowing in the wind for you.” This weird juxtaposition between harshness and delicate beauty seems an apt descriptor for “Diaper Island.”

Like the rest of VanGaalen’s discography, the record takes a listen or two to digest, and although it doesn’t fly as high as “Soft Airplane,” “Diaper Island” absolutely deserves an ear.

By Aaron Bragg
adbragg@umail.iu.edu