Chairlift: Something - Album Review

Chairlift
Something
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

I would think that having your single featuring in an iPod ad would be a mixed blessing; on the on hand, the invaluable publicity opens you up to an audience you wouldn't normally be exposed to, while, on the other hand, it puts a lot of pressure on you to follow through with an album's worth of material. Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly, the Brooklyn duo known as Chairlift, had their single "Bruises" so featured and led to them getting a major label deal with Columbia Records. Their first album, Does You Inspire You, which was recently reissued, was a more cerebral/arty affair, full of obtuse lyrics married with avant-garde synthpop. Something, the follow up, shows a new found maturity, without being stuffy, or losing the oddball charm of their previous release. The album works best when it retains a little more quirkiness, but loses some ground when the arrangements become too traditional or inert.

Something starts off with the one-two punch of "Sidewalk Safari" and "Wrong Opinion." Both hit the nail on the head with pulsating synths, propulsive beats, and Polachek's unique voice. The bassline in "Sidewalk Safari" appears played by a madman, careening around, bouncing off the walls. It's a loopy, fun track, that gets more and more infectious each time you hear it.



"Wrong Opinion" utilizes ping-pongy electronic percussion and deliriously aged synth effects straight of an old Yamaha DX7. Polachek's ethereal voice floating over the melange of 80s synthtropisms. In fact, the 1980s is such a touchstone for this record, you could indeed almost feel like you pulled out an unknown collaboration between Eurythmics/Cocteau Twins/Propaganda.



Several tracks recall, for me, the gorgeous adult synthpop of bands like Young Galaxy. "Take It Out On Me" bounces on chirping keyboards and a lilting beat, with Polachek stretching the range of her voice to its limit.



"Amanaemonesia," ridiculous title aside, is a lush, catchy pop song with a great melody.



Centerpiece to the record, and one of the standout tracks is the haunting ballad "Cool As Fire." Burbling synths and off-kilter percussion propel the track forward with an anguished vocal and a lush, haunting melody.



I also enjoyed the delightful, spacey tropicalia of "Frigid Spring," with its fuzzy guitars and atmospheric rises of synthesizers.



If only they had followed those instincts that made these tracks so memorable, Something would be something very special. Too often, they wander too close to being almost faceless. Tracks like the too-ethereal-for-its-own-good "Turning" come across like a Cocteau Twins sketch that was wisely abandoned. And aside from some interesting industrial-esque percussion on closer "Guilty As Charged," just never really goes anywhere. And Polachek's voice, so distinctive throughout the record, fades into the background of noise in "Met Before," and overpowers in tracks like "Ghost Tonight."

Something is a good second record for Chairlift, retaining the quirkiness that makes them memorable, but willing to adapt those quirks into stronger song frameworks. Right now, they have yet to find the right mix of the two, and can either hit it perfectly or miss the mark completely. By listening to their instincts more, I am sure they have a classic album lurking in them. Based on the wonderful singles on this record, I believe it is a question of sooner rather than later.