Chad VanGaalen - Samurai Sword

What this video is

Released January 28, 2021, during the height of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, 'Samurai Sword' is a product of enforced domestic isolation — VanGaalen wrote, recorded, animated, and mixed the entire work at home in Calgary. The video's incorporation of his father's watercolor paintings as animated backgrounds gives it a deeply personal, intergenerational dimension. Its premiere on Adult Swim's Toonami speaks to…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the Canadian indie-folk animated music video tradition. VanGaalen's self-animated videos occupy a unique niche — functioning simultaneously as fine-art animation, underground comix-influenced illustration, and commercial music promotion. 'Samurai Sword' represents the mature…

The director

Calgary, Alberta-based musician, visual artist, and animator. Active in indie music since 2004 debut album Infiniheart. Records and mixes at his own Yoko Eno Studio in Calgary. Releases music on Sub Pop (worldwide) and Flemish Eye (Canada). Has directed…