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Infiniheart

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 9 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: 23 August 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The Canadian illustrator and musician makes his Sub Pop debut with this self-recorded album.
Also By This Artist: Skelliconnection Soft Airplane
Also On The Web: CVG @ Sub Pop
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Alternative Press
As edgy as singer-songwriter pop gets. [Oct 2005, p.158]
Prefix Magazine
Between his willingness to experiment and a bountiful arsenal at his disposal, a spectacular range of dreamlike moods and sounds are created across Infiniheart's sixty-five minutes.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
Infiniheart is too bright, too beautiful, and almost too good to be believed.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
An excellent new-school Neil Young for the Garden State generation. [26 Aug 2005, p.61]
Paste Magazine
VanGaalen stuffs these frequently breathtaking songs with death and paranoid visions of dystopias and bad dreams. [Oct/Nov 2005, p.125]
Under The Radar
These are really, really beautiful songs. [#11, p.116]
Magnet
At an hour long, Infiniheart occasionally feels infinite, but moments of perfection make VanGaalen's meanderings seem a necessary part of the whole appealing coincidence. [#69, p.110]
The Guardian
Contains some of this year's most original and moving songwriting, and displays a breathtaking virtuosity and inventiveness on the part of its creator.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
Rife with contrast and irony, Infiniheart plays like a series of short stories or films, somehow interwoven to a common conclusion.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
That's ultimately the sticking point with Infiniheart: VanGaalen's songs tend toward folly, yet it's impossible to discount his commitment to the material.
Read Full Review >Neumu.net
Melding big, weary Fleetwood Mac-esque emotion to stretched-out arrangements, both electronic and folk, the Canadian singer/songwriter's power lies in his dedication to his own individuality.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
[An] impressive lo-fi debut. [27 Aug 2005, p.74]
Tiny Mix Tapes
With 16 thoroughly-developed tracks, clocking in at a little under an hour, Infiniheart is a tedious listen. Though its moments of faltering are few, it's a lot to digest.
Read Full Review >Uncut
The only consistent thing about Infiniheart is its inconsistency. [Sep 2005, p.116]
Delusions of Adequacy
Although annoyingly inconsistent, Infiniheart contains enough interesting tunes with odd arrangements and instrumentation to convince us that Chad Van Gaalen is a talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and is capable of producing engaging, lo-fi, ambient pop.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jere W gave it a9:
I like him better than Sufjan (they are often compared for reasons unknown to me). His second effort will do much better!
T-WiLL gave it an8:
The single "Clinically Dead" will linger in your mind for years. The rest of teh album is a grower. If given the time, a rewarding listen.
matt a gave it a9:
Very impressive lo-fi album. All the tracks work pretty flawlessly together but I would be interested to see what some studio production would do to his sound. Still, stunning first proper debut and one of the year's ten best.
Nathan M gave it a10:
For 10 years, Chad VanGaalen has been toiling away in obscurity, producing his own brand of spacey folk music from his basement. His first commercially available album - Infiniheart is a manic flight through sonic prairie wastelands. Mr. VanGaalen acts as singer, songwriter & producer on the album - a true renaissance man. Energetic, yet restrained.
Matt K gave it a10:
This is second only to Sufjan's "Illinois" in my book - spectacular song writing of the darkest variety. Great and extremely unique sound you will not find from your generic pop artists - very much a ground breaker.
jah gave it a10:
been listening to this for a year and a half without a break, just great
