Pop is meek and weird.
Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree
I love this song, I love this man. Music is great because I can tell what kind of person he is by this song, especially because it’s the first song off his new record (Soft Airplane). We all know the first song is often the mission statement. The first paragraph of the essay. Shrill but shy, dark, smart, wimpy and beautiful.
The beauty of Chad VanGaalen lies in his contrasts – super poppy vocal over crispy banjo, over morbid lyrics about beaten pets, over battery powered fuzzy synth and African thumb piano. All true. The mid-chorus breakdown (1:27) in this song is pure pop joy. Sunny trumpet, clumsy clarinet, 1-2-3-4 singalongs, and that skippy hand waving feeling.
Update: I just realized I had posted this song already, so I present another one of my faves.
Chad VanGaalen – City of Electric Light
