Infiniheart - Chad VanGaalen

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 15
  2. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. As edgy as singer-songwriter pop gets. [Oct 2005, p.158]
  2. Infiniheart is too bright, too beautiful, and almost too good to be believed.
  3. 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.
  4. An excellent new-school Neil Young for the Garden State generation. [26 Aug 2005, p.61]
  5. Rife with contrast and irony, Infiniheart plays like a series of short stories or films, somehow interwoven to a common conclusion.
  6. 80
    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]
  7. 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.
  8. [An] impressive lo-fi debut. [27 Aug 2005, p.74]
  9. VanGaalen stuffs these frequently breathtaking songs with death and paranoid visions of dystopias and bad dreams. [Oct/Nov 2005, p.125]
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Contains some of this year's most original and moving songwriting, and displays a breathtaking virtuosity and inventiveness on the part of its creator.
  13. 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.
  14. 60
    The only consistent thing about Infiniheart is its inconsistency. [Sep 2005, p.116]
  15. These are really, really beautiful songs. [#11, p.116]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. JereW
    Jul 18, 2006
    I like him better than Sufjan (they are often compared for reasons unknown to me). His second effort will do much better!
  2. T-WiLL
    Oct 19, 2005
    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.
  3. matta
    Oct 10, 2005
    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. Full Review »