Something
Slimmed down to a duo, Brooklyn’s Chairlift combines a sharp pop sensibility with eerie techno ambiance on its sophomore album, *Something*. Beneath the music’s sleek surfaces, Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly capture a sense of emotional volatility. *Something*\'s mood veers from the elegant melancholy of “Cool as a Fire” and “Ghost Tonight” to the jumpy angst of “Amaneaemonesia” and the surging, ominous thrust of “Sidewalk Safari.” The unearthly, echo-bathed “Turning” could fit comfortably on a David Lynch film soundtrack. Polachek’s lithe, immaculately controlled vocals remain seductive even when tinged with shadows of paranoia (as in “Guilty as Charged”). With seasoned pop hitmaker Dan Carey producing, *Something* emphasizes Chairlift’s affinity for ‘80s-era new wave sounds. “I Belong in Your Arms,” for instance, has the bass-driven aggression of a natural radio hit yet mixes its erotic abandon with enough weirdness to remain distinctive.
Chairlift's second full-length album is a major creative leap from their first, but it doesn't so much reinvent their sound as refine it.
Chairlift's second full-length album is a major creative leap from their first, but it doesn't so much reinvent their sound as refine it.
At first, Chairlift seems quintessentially, almost insufferably hip. The group got its start at a Colorado college, then graduated to Williamsburg intent on making “live music for haunted houses.” Singer/synth-player/songwriter Caroline Polachek guested on Washed Out’s latest, and producer/bassist Patrick Wimberly…
At first, Chairlift seems quintessentially, almost insufferably hip. The group got its start at a Colorado college, then graduated to Williamsburg intent on making “live music for haunted houses.” Singer/synth-player/songwriter Caroline Polachek guested on Washed Out’s latest, and producer/bassist Patrick Wimberly…
If there’s a band that can get away with writing “Amanaemonesia,” a five-minute single about magic and a fictional disease,…
If there’s a band that can get away with writing “Amanaemonesia,” a five-minute single about magic and a fictional disease,…
On sophomore album Something, Chairlift holds tight to their origin as the bastard child of Enya and Tears for Fears—or, if you believe press releases, creators of music for haunted houses.
On sophomore album Something, Chairlift holds tight to their origin as the bastard child of Enya and Tears for Fears—or, if you believe press releases, creators of music for haunted houses.
<p>Not quite pop, yet not quite leftfield, Chairlift occupy a difficult but not unappealing position in the musical firmament, writes <strong>Tim Jonze</strong></p>
<p>Not quite pop, yet not quite leftfield, Chairlift occupy a difficult but not unappealing position in the musical firmament, writes <strong>Tim Jonze</strong></p>