That old American Bandstand adage "It's got a beat and you can dance to it" comes to mind when listening to "Something," the new album from Brooklyn electronic pop duo Chairlift, and at first you don't know why. The album's dream pop sound is not what one would typically think of as danceable, but Chairlift still offers some upbeat tracks in "Something," an overall weaker offering than their first album, "Does You Inspire You," released in 2008.
In general, many of the songs all give off a strange, ethereal vibe, making them more suited for the soundtrack of a David Lynch film than for a dance club. Yet if there were any doubts as to the danceability of the album, frontwoman Caroline Polachek wearing a skin tight suit and a stoic expression offers a captivating dance to the track "Amanaemonesia" in the video for the single. While most of the songs on "Something" are about being in love, one would be remiss to call them love songs. Chairlift's simultaneously disaffected and affectionate sensibility breathes hip new life into well-worn territory, sounding heavily influenced by but never derivative of the genre.
The airy synthesized instrumentation and production-heavy tracks are both staples of the chillwave genre, but "Something" offers more than the typical fare with Polachek's strong vocals. Her range and emotionality are similar that of an R&B star, albeit transposed onto an electropop indie darling from the 1980s. Her persona reflects the nature of the band's music, being as influenced by Kate Bush as by Feist. The band's unique sound comes from the way in which their influences are amalgamated.
At the album's best moments, the band seems to channel these influences toward creating truly ambitious and infectious tunes. The opening track, "Sidewalk Safari," establishes the band's jaunty but murky electronic soundscape in a catchy song about vehicular manslaughter. Recognition also must be given to instrumentalist Patrick Wimberly and producers Dan Carey and Alan Moulder for the slick beats. Polachek, as wonderful as her voice is, knows when to let the sound of the song take the forefront. She does not quite let go vocally until "I Belong In Your Arms," probably the strongest and most straightforward pop track on the album. With traces of A-ha and Blondie, the song is the stuff of musical addiction.
"I Belong In Your Arms" is currently available for free as the iTunes Single of the Week.
"Something" is not lacking in great single-worthy tracks. "Ghost Tonight," "Amanaemonesia" and "Met Before" all help set the catchy, art-pop Chairlift sound in stone a sound I hope to hear more of in future albums. Much unlike the others but still a highlight on the album is "Cool As a Fire," in which Polachek's haunting and seductive vocals make the track sound like a tender cut off Lynch's "Twin Peaks" soundtrack.
At the album's weaker moments, the band seems to trade its ambition for complacency with the repetitive and mundane. The closing tracks "Frigid Spring," "Turning" and "Guilty As Charged" sound like early demos that got too far without being fleshed out. The slow-moving final three tracks are carried only by Polachek's vocals and the solid production as they draw to the album's disappointing finish. Only at the end of "Something" does the album's lack of consistent quality and unified force become apparent.
These faults are mostly forgiven as "Something" is an album by a relatively new band still trying to find its strengths rather than playing to them. The album also seems to have successfully established the band as more than just a catchy Apple commercial commodity their cutesy single "Bruises" was featured in a 2008 iPod Nano commercial.
Sophomore slump, however, seems to have hit Chairlift in their new album, which may be due to the changed dynamic of the band. "Something" is the band's first album recorded as a musical duo, after founding member Aaron Pfenning left in 2010. Their first album was released as a trio featuring Pfenning, and they still appear to be finding their footing early in their career.
