Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane

Chad VanGaalen
Soft Airplane
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

Thankfully, Canadian Chad VanGaalen has scaled back his Ryan Adams-style productivity in order to focus more on a single effort – his latest LP Soft Airplane. VanGaalen’s previous Sub Pop releases – Infiniheart (2005) and Skelliconnection (2006) – had strong moments, but both were very eclectic and spotty. Although VanGaalen has been doing a lot of producing and orchestrating of other acts, the thirteen songs on Soft Airplane all seem well-planned, smart, and consistent. There are probably fewer songs here that will knock you on your ass, but overall the listening experience is considerably better. Check out opener “Willow Tree,” the great “Inside the Molecules,” the Sonic Youth guitars of “Bare Feet on Wet Griptape,” “City of Electric Light,” and “Poisonous Heads” for your listening enjoyment.