Diaper Island is album #4 from Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen.
It’s been three years since he dropped the critically acclaim and Polaris Prize nominated Soft Airplane (Review).
With Diaper Island seems like fatherhood might have changed him.
With a title like Diaper Island, I would have thought he might have made a children’s record.
No it is not! It is still the Chad that we are used to with the indie alternative rock.
Somewhat gone are the really dark lyrical songs about death and other things depressing.
Sara, in my opinion is the only track that has that acoustic vibe which is similar to his last song “Willow Tree”.
The whole album is filled with heavy lo-fi guitar sound very similar to Women (May they rest in peace! :P).
Considering he did produced their last two records.
As someone mention to me, this album is mostly “mid-fi”.
Replace Me sounds like really old U2 during their New Years Day era.
There are a few tracks that has that psychedelic feel in Burning Photographs and Blonde Hash.
Then Freedom for a Policeman which he totally rocks out!
While Can You Believe It!? is the only track which has that glitchy weirdness from what we expect from Chad or his Black Mold side-project.
Then the album ends of with a tongue and cheek tune called Shave My Pussy. Which I like to call it Chad‘s version of John Mayer’s Your Body Is A Wonderland :P.
I really like Diaper Island to be very honest and exceeded my expectations.
Best tracks:
- Do Not Fear
- Peace On The Rise
- Burning Photographs
- Sara
- Replace Me
- Freedom for a Policeman
- Can You Believe It!?
- Wandering Spirits
- Shave My Pussy
I’d give Diaper Island 10/10.
