Blog: Chipped Hip

Calgary singer-songwriter Chad VanGaalen specializes in quirky bedroom pop, a style which earned his 2008 album Soft Airplane a short-list nod for this year's Polaris Prize . But as fans know, his albums also feature twisted instrumental set-pieces and bizarre stylistic left-turns. Soft Airplane ended with "Frozen Energon," which was nearly four minutes of guitar feedback, pulsing synth noise and directionless drum pounding. "JC's Head on the Cross," which appeared on his debut, Infiniheart , was a similarly wonky instrumental, with barely-in-tune guitar plucking and a stuttering electro beats. [...]

• Black Mold - Metal Spider Webs