WATCH AND SHARE “TARBOZ" HERE
NEW ALBUM, LIGHT INFORMATION, OUT NOW VIA FLEMISH EYE IN CANADA
LISTEN TO LIGHT INFORMATION APPLE MUSIC // SPOTIFY // YOUTUBE
PURCHASE LIGHT INFORMATION HERE VIA FLEMISH EYE
INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES BEGIN OCT 15
“TARBOZ" is the long-awaited, animated short film from creative polymath Chad VanGaalen, which sees its online premiere today with Pitchfork TV.
Van Gaalen delivered this statement on the making of the film:
“TARBOZ was planned as the first episode of "Translated Log of Inhabitants", and was an experiment to see if I could make a long-form improvised animation and still get out alive. I barely did!
The "Translated Log of Inhabitants" was conceived as a guide to the origin story of many different species. I imagined myself doing dozens of these episodes, focusing on a new life form very time — very much like a page from "Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials". It expands a universe that I had already been developing in my own music videos, as well as ones for other bands. The videos for "Peace on the Rise" as well as ones for Black Mountain and Shabazz Palaces all exist in the same world (at least in my head).
TARBOZ is stream of consciousness, dreams, and friends. Alternate versions of my own reality. Coming to terms with the fact that I will never play freestyle disc professionally, but wanting to pay homage to the peaceful energy of that sport. It also reflects my needing to score a sci-fi film so badly that I ended up making my own.
I TARBOZed myself for two years, through software transitions and computer wastelands, and slowly the physical realm slipped away. I learned a lot about why you should get into something with a clear idea in mind. I would never make another animation in quite the same the way I made this again. After two years of working on it in solitude, I just wanted my life back. Doing it alone was my biggest mistake. I was very lonely.
It didn't really end up like any of these things, but I hope this might help people understand the spirit of the piece. Although I'm not sure I understand it entirely myself. Sometimes you need to just do it in order to know how not to do it?”
WATCH AND SHARE “TARBOZ" HERE
Chad VanGaalen recently released Light Information, which is available on CD / LP / DL / CS worldwide on Sub Pop and in Canada through Flemish Eye. Light Information was written, played, and produced by VanGaalen (save Ryan Bourne’s bass part on “Mystery Elementals” and vocals on “Static Shape” from his young daughters Ezzy and Pip). The album emerged from the experimental instruments that fill his Calgary garage studio. Among them is a beloved Korg 770 monosynth, which VanGaalen coveted for years before fixing one up and devoting a lot of recent energy to recording “duets” with it. One of these, “Prep Piano and 770”, is the lone instrumental on Light Information, more atmosphere and chord bursts than the rest of the album’s hooky rock narrative.
Flemish Eye has also released VanGaalen’s earlier albums on limited edition coloured vinyl. Infiniheart, his beloved and long unavailable 2005 debut returns to double LP on limited edition Turquoise vinyl. VanGaalen’s 2014 album, Shrink Dust, gets a special treatment on white, and 2011’s Diaper Island gets a re-pressing on grey marble vinyl, all limited edition.
LISTEN TO LIGHT INFORMATION APPLE MUSIC // SPOTIFY // YOUTUBE
PURCHASE LIGHT INFORMATION HERE VIA FLEMISH EYE
Chad VanGaalen’s previously announced international tour schedule in support of Light Information has been extended. The dates now span October 15th in Utrecht, Netherlands at EKKO through January 27th in Edmonton, Alberta at The Needle Vinyl Tavern.
2017 European Dates
Oct. 15 - Utrecht, NL - EKKO ^
Oct. 16 - Rotterdam, NL - Rotown ^
Oct. 17 - London, UK - Oslo ^
Oct. 18 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club ^
Oct. 20 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow (Sky Bar) ^
Oct. 21 - Copenhagen, DK - Stengade ^
Oct. 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain ^
Oct. 24 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn ^
Oct. 25 - Lyon, FR - Le Sonic ^
Oct. 26 - Amiens, FR - La Lune des Pirates ^
Oct. 27 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere ^
Oct. 28 - Nantes, FR - SOY Festival ^
Oct. 29 - Tourcoing, FR - Le Grand Mix ^
Oct. 30 - Luxemburg, LU - Rotondes ^
Oct. 31 - Gent, BE - NEST ^
2017 North American Dates
Nov. 09 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Cabaret
Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
Nov. 12 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir *
Nov. 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
Nov. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Satellite Club *
Nov. 16 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar *
Nov. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
Nov. 19 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive *
Nov. 20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Nov. 30 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
Dec. 01 - Detroit, MI - El Club **
Dec. 02 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle **
Dec. 03 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi Fi **
Dec. 05 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe **
Dec. 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade NYC **
Dec. 07 - Allston, MA - Great Scott **
Dec. 08 - Montreal QC - Fairmount **
Jan. 19 - Winnipeg, MB - The Good Will
Jan. 20 - Saskatoon, SK - Winterruption! Festival
Jan. 25 - Calgary, AB - Commonwealth Bar and Stage
Jan. 26 - Red Deer, AB - Bo's Bar
Jan. 27 - Edmonton, AB - The Needle Vinyl Tavern
*w/ NE-HI
^w/ Mauno
**w/ Un Blonde
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LIGHT INFORMATION
PRAISE FOR LIGHT INFORMATION
"Light Information “anxious, tightly wound songs packed with breathless synth
and guitar drama” - MOJO
"One of his best albums yet.” - Noisey
“The always-underrated Chad VanGaalen sounds solid as ever”
[Light Information] - Brooklyn Vegan
“...Danceable indie rock with an experimental streak and nimble storytelling. Lead single “Old Heads” is a sci-fi anthem to technology that constantly replaces itself, proving both necessary and unnecessary at the same time. It’s also just really fun to listen to.” [Light Information, “15 Albums We’re Most Excited About for September”] - PASTE
“For an album that's about ‘not feeling comfortable with really anything,’ as Van Gaalen says, Light Information is nonetheless a vivid, welcoming journey through future worlds and relentless memories. The rich soundscapes and sometimes jarring imagery could only come from the mind of a creative polymath -- an accomplished visual artist, animator, director and producer.” [Light Information] - Northern Transmissions
“VanGaalen’s music has taken on many forms, using a variety of instruments including some DIY, but something immediately becomes clear upon hearing Light Information’s opening track, “Mind Hijacker’s Curse.” These are some of the singer-songwriter’s most direct pop songs yet. The guitar riffs, punchy synths and atmospheric flourishes still remain, but VanGaalen has put a stronger focus on melodies here, with his voice cutting through more sharply on tracks like “Old Heads” and “Faces Lit.’” [“First Play,” Light Information] - CBC Music
“Single "Old Heads" is effortless, featuring synths that twist and turn through roughly strummed guitar, and the comfort with which Chad performs is evident. Yet, it's the more discordant tracks that really hold listeners' attention.” [Light Information] - Exclaim!
“VanGaalen’s clear talent as a producer and arranger still shines through.’
[Light Information] - Uncut
“A complex interplay of light and dark sits at the thematic heart of this record, with VanGaalen stepping away from his preoccupation with alienation and embracing emotions that span the spectrum; disembodiment, intimacy, paranoia, and playfulness, to name a few.” [Light Information] - Loud & Quiet
“After a dozen years of indelible hooks, bizarro ‘country’ albums, and ingenuous instrument clusters, the best way to learn about Calgary’s resident wizard is to close your eyes and fall backwards into the whole mess, and trust that pure dreams will catch you. And they will.“ [Light Information, 8/10] - Drowned In Sound
“Cheerfully ramshackle … sure hand with hooks and melodies”
[Light Information] - The Calgary Herald
“Sometimes you want to cry about your inevitable death, sometimes you just want to thrash around in your pyjamas. VanGaalen does both majestically.”
[Light Information, 4/5] - The Skinny
“VanGaalen’s sixth album shows him easing more into his bright and disorienting vision.” [Light Information, 8/10] - The Line Of Best Fit
“His confident songwriting and beaming vocals bring the record’s crowning fun and charisma into full focus.” [Light Information, 8/10] - Future Music
“...A generally more rousing affair than its predecessor. Full of contorted electric guitars, caterwauling reverb, and spry drumming, his acoustic guitar is nearly absent here as he eschews some of his folkier elements in favor of jagged chugging riffs and bent synth tones...His tremulous, warbling tenor cuts through the busier and more raucous mixes, taking full command on slightly sparser tracks like "Pine and Clover" and "You Fool." More than anything, Light Information feels like a pop record, albeit one that is tonally warped and distorted to represent VanGaalen's distinctive worldview. - All Music
"'Mind Hijacker's Curse' is a bit of a wobbly yet vibrant slice of alt-pop with vintage synths and a few strident riffs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, its also got quite a trippy, body-hopping concept behind it too." ["Mind Hijacker's Curse"] - DIY
"Chad has another beauty for us to enjoy. This one is entitled 'Pine and Clover' and it features a somewhat creepy, yet still cool animated video of Chad's always unique and distinct drawings. The song itself is of course full of subtle power and beauty typical of what we've come to expect over the years. He's still got it." ["Pine And Clover"] - Austin Town Hall
“A Jangly, sci-fi ode to the rapidly changing nature of technology.”
[“Old Heads”] - Sidewalk Hustle
“”Old Heads” is burdened by the anxious thought: Who really has control? These are all good questions that VanGaalen ponders amongst twangy guitars, bursting drums, and a slight echo.” [“Old Heads”] - Stereogum