| · It doesn’t get more independent than this.
I once heard the lo-fi charm of Calgary’s most prolific one-man band referred to as the Chad Van Gaalen machine. That statement is only partially correct. His unmatched productivity would indicate an almost mechanized musical delivery system, if there wasn’t so much character in the music.
His haunting falsetto is the calling card for much of See-thru Skin. Whether it’s the shambling jerk of "Tear Dedication" or the processed drive of "With Wolves," Van Gaalen turns the simplest of ideas into a head turning musical cherry bomb. He may very well breathe life back into indie-rock by doing what no one has done in a long time – writing songs quickly and squeezing them out any way he can. Fat synth lines, xylophones, harpsichord and (of course) achingly beautiful guitar lines all contribute to the raw abandon of See-thru Skin, but it is the inclusion of the live version of "City Glow," complete with crowd chatter and horn section, that proves Van Gaalen is the master of almost any domain. His live partners in crime join him on the kitchen-sink clunk of "Pure Satisfaction" which may abandon all of Van Gaalen’s pop sensibilities, but completes the picture of his musical artistry.
This album may not have the knock-you-on-your-ass power of last year’s Infiniheart, but how could it? – that album was culled from 200 hours of material. Instead what he presents here is the snapshot of a mad sonic genius, who spends many late nights working in the lab – further enhanced by the ragged cover and handwritten track list. The Chad Van Gaalen machine may still be a cottage industry, but his uncanny knack for hook, combined with the sense of longing that pervades most of his work makes him worthy of all the accolades he’s received and, no doubt, will keep receiving.
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