Chad VanGaalen has written one of my favourite songs of 2008
I can’t get enough of Chad VanGaalen’s song Willow Tree at the moment. As I said on Tumblr, the song has one of the sweetest and saddest melodies I’ve heard in a long time. And dude’s from Calgary, which means I really must be digging this song if I’m actually writing about someone from that town.
The way Chad delivers the lines are just perfect and it kills me every time I hear it. Willow Tree reminds me of something Sufjan Stevens might write if he didn’t feel the need to bury every song under 17 trumpets and 56 oboes*. Not that there aren’t some wonderful sonic embellishments on Willow Tree, but they don’t take away from the heart of the song.
Soft Airplane (from which this song is taken) is a pretty fabulous record from start to finish. After the success of Skelliconnection, Soft Airplane is another step forward. It’s a record of maturity but at the same time you can hear the fun Chad had in making it. Highly recommended.
Download
Chad VanGaalen – Willow Tree
Willow Tree is also the #1 song on CBC Radio 3′s R3-30 this week. Nice work, Chad!
*Don’t get me wrong, I love Sufjan.
November 5th, 2008 17:56
sufjan! (salute)
that is all