SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Chad VanGaalen, Kantine am Berghain, 9pm
It has been three years since Canadian singer-songwriter Chad VanGaalen came out with his last album, 2011′s Diaper Island, which was his fourth full-length and the first album recorded in his home studio, Yoko Eno. A collection of straightforward rock tracks, the album stands in stark contrast to his newest release, Shrink Dust, which came out in April.
Hailed as a country record, the album’s 12 tracks are full of twangy strings, mournful vocals, and a healthy dose of pedal steel guitar. The latter is something he bought just to experiment with, but VanGaalen ended up loving it so much that he made it a focal point of the album – though he’s admitted he’s not good enough to play it live.
In June, it was announced that Shrink Dust made the long list for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize – a noteworthy achievement, in spite of not making it to the final 10.
However, VanGaalen has other plans for the album, most notably its use in a sci-fi film he’s made. And though he has no reservations about admitting just how much he doesn’t like touring and performing live, he will spend the first half of September touring the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Natalye Childress
Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin; S: Ostbahnhof; admission €13,20.