Following a few scattered independent releases, done mostly on homemade CDs with hand-drawn art, VanGaalen released Infiniheart in 2004 on Canadian independent label Flemish Eye. Being a collection of songs selected from recordings made in his bedroom/makeshift studio, it was picked up in 2005 by indie label Sub Pop. In late 2005, the album was re-released with a bonus six-song EP entitled Green Beans.
On 22 August 2006, VanGaalen's second album, Skelliconnection, was released in the U.S. on Sub Pop and in Canada on Flemish Eye. The album comprised of new songs as well as tracks previously released on his earlier independent recordings and features exclusive artwork and videos made by VanGaalen. The album was named on the shortlist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize.
VanGaalen's third studio album, Soft Airplane, was released 9 September 2008.
In 2009, VanGaalen released a full-length album "Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz" under the alias Black Mold.
In 2015, VanGaalen collaborated with Seth Smith of the indie rock band Dog Day on the album Seed of Dorzon.
Chad VanGaalen's Light Information, his sixth record on Sub Pop, was released on 8 September 2017.
As a visual artist, VanGaalen is known for his illustration and animation work. He has animated music videos for folks like J Mascis, Guster, and Holy Fuck.
Traffic
Chad VanGaalen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You dream about the future and that motherfucking lie
Underwater dreaming in the deep and darkest depths
And the solar power cells keep the music pumping citywide
And you wake up to the sound of a horn
As your head falls
Against the wheel
And now you're on your way to pick up groceries for your kids
Carrots, frosted food in super giant sizes
And everything gets wrapped in plastic, wax and styrofoam
And it's perfectly in order for your supersterile homes
And you wake up to the sound of a horn
That reminds you
That you're not dead
The opening lines of "Traffic" are about the numbness and detachedness we feel when we are caught in mundane but necessary everyday activities like being stuck in traffic. The singer falls asleep as a coping mechanism, and his dream takes him to the future, but it's a bleak one defined by a "motherfucking lie." The dream furthers his disconnect from reality, as he finds refuge in the deep depths of his imagination, which isn't entirely pleasant either. The only thing that's real is the music that pumps through the city's solar power cells, which shows that despite the drudgery, there is something positive that keeps the singer going.
The second stanza finds the singer trying to connect with his reality by fulfilling his parental duties of getting groceries for his kids. He's aware of the excessive packaging and the super sterile homes people live in, but it's a necessary evil for him. The final lines once again jolt the singer back to reality with the sound of a horn, reminding him that he is, in fact, alive.
Line by Line Meaning
You get stuck in traffic with your car and fall asleep
Being stuck in traffic is a monotonous and tiring experience that it can lull you to sleep.
You dream about the future and that motherfucking lie
In your sleep, you ruminate on the inevitability of the future, which can be depressing as it may include the lies you have been told.
Underwater dreaming in the deep and darkest depths
Your dreams take you to surreal places where you can escape the traffic by going underwater.
And the solar power cells keep the music pumping citywide
The human-created noisy environment caused by traffic is perpetuated by renewable energy used to power speakers that blast music in the city.
And you wake up to the sound of a horn
The blaring of a horn serves as an unwelcome, rude awakening.
As your head falls
Your head droops down due to drowsiness and fatigue.
Against the wheel
The steering wheel serves as an unfortunate pillow.
And now you're on your way to pick up groceries for your kids
After being rudely woken up, you begrudgingly get back to your daily routine, which involves buying food for your children.
Carrots, frosted food in super giant sizes
The supermarket offers all sorts of food, including unnaturally large and unhealthy ones like heavily sweetened cereals and giant carrots.
And everything gets wrapped in plastic, wax and styrofoam
The food packaging is not only excessive but also detrimental to the environment since they take forever to decompose.
And it's perfectly in order for your supersterile homes
The clean and sanitized living spaces, free from any dirt or germs, are considered desirable even though it can be the result of using toxic chemicals.
That reminds you
The sound of the horn reinforces the stark reality that it's a reminder of the living experience you're enduring.
That you're not dead
It is a silver lining, cause life goes on despite the mundane and burdensome nature of it all.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: CHAD VANGAALEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind