As a break up album, Something is remarkably mild tempered, almost too cheerful in its pop snyth hooks and melodies. This is the first album released after signing with Columbia records in 2009. That seems a bit delayed, right? Indeed it was, partly because of a legal battle for the right to use the Chairlift name between Caroline Polacheck and former flame (now departed) co-founder, Aaron Pfenning. Remaining calm and carrying on as a duo with Patrick Wimberly (Das Racist), Caroline shows off all of her strengths; the wry lyric, witty chorus, and her wicked way with a tambourine.
Showing off her way with a synthesizer as well, Something sounds like it could have been plucked from the ’80s popland, echoing Pet Shop Boys dance beat on “Met Before,” delivering the pop perfect, ear worm to be “Amanaemonesia,” and quietly introspective on “Frigid Spring” and “Turning.” Like her fellow genre artists Ladyhawke and La Roux, Caroline knows how to use her voice for the desired effect; be it breathy gasps of deep thoughts or clear toned notes imbued with happiness. She delivers lines that give a glimpse of the ire toward her former flame, in the perfect tone designed to put such persons firmly in their place on “Guilty As Charged,” “If I gave you what you’re asking for, you know you wouldn’t want it anymore/ So I won’t.” Like writers of novels, song writers can also have fanciful thoughts of how they’d kill someone who had done them wrong, exorcising their anger into a character. Such is the case in “Sidewalk Safari” where after listing what won’t work for the death of the target, a car is decided upon as the perfect vehicle of death (pun intended, I couldn’t resist). And depending on which kind of movie you’re looking for, credits to love songs, “I Belong In Your Arms” and “Cool Fire” will fit the bill; the former a gem of a pop love-gushing joy, the latter a quiet outpouring of emotion.
Well worth the wait, Something is the album that grew up to be the shiny, smart electropop we knew Chairlift could deliver. Now, where did I put my blue eye shadow and hoop earrings?
I’m a sucker for one-take videos, and Chairlift’s “Sidewalk Safari” is a great one. It perfects the not trying too hard vibe, with slightly hazy visuals and an ’80s-tastic, seemingly DOS-inspired font. What’s left is just an awesome band and an awesome tune.
You’ve probably been stressing for a few weeks wondering what you were going to wear to that bomb ass holiday party this weekend – when what you really should’ve been thinking about was how you haven’t heard any new tunes in forever. And since we’re up on latest trends and tunes, these tasty ear treats will match your costume no matter if it’s slutty, ironic, or just something you managed to dig out of your closet at the last minute.
So, you’re like totally getting ready to hit that party with a cocktail in hand and you need something to sway to. Toronto’s Austra just put out a remix of “Spellwork” that has enough synths and backbeats to at least get you swaying. And it’s kind of spooky to boot.
Black Taxi will be releasing their sophomore album come January of 2012 and it shows a lot of promise with this upbeat single “Tightrope.” As the band says “Believe it or not, it’s easy to make complicated music. The real challenge is making simple songs that nobody has thought of yet.”
Guards, the band at CMJ we said was “The show where you realize getting up early was worth it” is set to release their second album, S/T later on in November. Luckily to get you in the mood they’re allowing you to download their first album for free below.
In new bands we’ve never heard about this week, but make us happy we did — we present Alert New London, a quintet from Columbus, Ohio. It seems that their influences come from all over, including U2, The Temper Trap, Foals, and other bands that deliver a strong drummer and a solid vocalist. The debut album Youth will be released on November 1st.
With Lions will release their debut album Touch the Sound in New York on November 11th. Their sound is big, cinematically inspired, and a huge wall of anthemic beauty. Don’t miss this EP.
Male Bonding is a group of UK lads that play pop punk music. I know, I know, pop punk went out with groups like Pennywise and Social Distortion, but what I love about these guys is their lack of screaming vocals. It doesn’t sound entirely like punk and it doesn’t feel entirely British. As I write this they’ll be almost finishing their US tour (tonight in my beloved San Diego), get keen to their music and ask ‘em to come back soon!
Channeling ’70s singer-songwriters like Cat Stevens and James Taylor is none other than Ben Lear, whose approach to the craft yields intelligent results. Expect more from this crafty kid.
Eight Bit Tiger is an electronic duo out of Chicago that can’t help but write and record danceable tunes. And with so much music out there these days that’s all depressing and mellow, you need danceable tunes. Check out their new record Parallel Synchronized Randomness.
Do you remember sunshine? Seeing how fall is approaching quickly, it may be something of the past. Thankfully, Danish quartet Treefight for Sunlight is trying it’s damndest to keep summer around with bright poppy jams that only people like the Dutch can make. Only natural since they won “happiest country in the world” recently.
If anyone ever tells you that you can have enough synth in your life, don’t believe them. It’s musical acts like Grimes that prove the naysayers wrong. Powered by Claire Boucher, Grimes proves that synth acts can be thoughtful without being really annoying, meeting the likes of Bat for Lashes and Natasha Khan.
The above video made its way around the interwebs a couple weeks ago, probably because there’s spandex involved, but maybe because the music from Chairlift is comforting and well-composed. The duo from New York and London, Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly, manage to make a long distance musical relationship work extremely well. Just listen.
Quietly this week the lo-fi and upbeat trio The Beets released their album Let the Poision Out (October 24th). Soon they’ll be hitting the road with their throwback guitar sounds and punk vocal stylings.
Usually we’re caught up writing about the headliners and how they live up to the hype. We’re not so sure that this show went that direction.
Kicking off the stage on Thursday night, low-key instrumentalists, El Ten Eleven absolutely blew away the crowd with their very unique stage presence. Wielding a double neck guitar with a fretless bass (a la Robert Plant, although tweaked to El Ten Eleven standards), the duo harmoniously looped extremely difficult drumbeats while playing the guitar and bass at the same time. Even though the sound system was a little overcompensated at Bottom of the Hill, these guys pulled out some of the best sliding bass rhythms and loop sequences that we’ve ever seen. They were so good in fact, that the crowd begged them to play an encore. When was the last time you saw an opener play an encore? Exactly. Most comparable to big-timers, Ratatat, but without the big hype, mainstream recognition, El Ten Eleven is greatly under-appreciated and we expect them to pull out of the underground circuit into some big time success in the near future.
Next, up were local sweethearts, Magic Bullets. Their stage presence is incredible and up beat, and the tunes something akin to old-school British pop. We loved the erratic dancing and catchy rhythms. We’d definitely be willing to check them out again.
After the build-up, iTunes superstars, Chairlift, took to the stage at Bottom of the Hill last night with a very specific goal in mind. Blend their new brand of raw artsy noise-rock with a teensy bit of their old indie pop that we all know and love so much. With a completely unexpected sound and very straightforward show, we’re still pondering if the message came fully through, but Chairlift does provide some talented musicianship in addition to their occasionally catchy tunes. Their new edgy material will definitely take some getting used to, but we are looking forward to witnessing the next direction that they take this in.
Any band might get dollar-sign eyes at the prospect of having their song in an iPod commercial, but the use of Chairlift’s “Bruises” seems a bit odd. Though bouncy and cute, it tells of one going to great physical lengths to impress a potential lover, ending up bruised and alone. This does not make me want to buy an iPod. Perhaps the advertising moguls intended for the synth-swathed yodeling interlude to celebrate the jubilation one may incur when given a rainbow of color options for today’s hottest gadget. The tone sounds right for product pushing, and Chairlift certainly achieves the coveted spotlight of exposure, but consumers everywhere might be in for a surprise when they rush to the iTunes stone. This Brooklyn via Colorado band’s debut album, Does You Inspire You, is not a jumpy, lo-fi disc full of similarly airy hits, but rather is full of gloomy musings that might actually scare you silly. In fact, these guys supposedly made the album as a deliberate attempt to “make live music for haunted houses.”
And that they did. From the novelty witch cackles in “Territory” to the Vincent Price vocal echo on “Evident Utensil,” the album slides through room after room of scary buzzing, heavy plodding, and ghostly howls. The songs fit into the pop category, but are too weighted in mood-altering eeriness to be taken lightly. Singer Caroline Polachek has a lovely, versatile voice that can be soothing and trustworthy as on “Garbage,” or playful and seductive as on “Planet Health.” The latter song is a definite standout with its exotic hook that dances around Polachek’s jaded exclamations, and crashing gongs that blend into the track’s overwhelmingly ’80s drawl. It’s driven to perfection with the mocking repetition of the line “Stop, drop and roll” in a pseudo-seductive tone a la Flight of the Concords. Much of Does You Inspire You is concerned with an 80’s cheesiness as it shifts from straightforward pop to gloomy, languid ruminations. The overall result may confuse some iPod buyers, but makes for a hauntingly pleasant album.
From time to time you can download free mp3s from artists and bands that we love listening to. We scour the web for these links, occasionally hosting our own, in the hopes of influencing you to go out and buy/support these artists and bands. If that bugs you, because you hate free stuff and wish to be compensated for it, let us know and we will remove it ASAP. Happy listening.
Chairlift
