“Something” Album Review by Chairlift
On the opening track “Sidewalk Safari”, shuddering reverberations give way to unsettlingly disjointed synths which are in turn followed by eerie vocals.
This prelude calmly alerts the listener, “if I see you on the street you better run.” Sage advice if you intend on having anything other than this enthralling experience on your mp3 player for weeks to come. By the time the track has completely shifted into funky highs accompanying the “Sidewalk Safari” chorus, you know you are in for a refreshingly artfilled experience. Near the end of the track, the calmness fades and the initially lost drums take control and give way to dancehall claps before wild synths and bells alert your ears they’ve gone too far to run away now.
With every sonic twist and turn, “Something” appears at each moment to be a very experimental electronic journey. A step back reveals beautifully crafted tracks, full of careful ambiance, mighty crescendos and arresting vocals. The restraint shown in maintaining harmony throughout Caroline Polachek’s vocals results in an absolutely spellbinding effect when juxtaposed with the wildly progressive instrumentals featuring the drums & bass guitar of Patrick Wimberly (@patrickWhat ).
The production is second to none, mixing the production minded duo of artists with the pinnacle producers of two seemingly opposite styles. Dan Carey of electropop fame (La Roux, Santigold, M.I.A.) melds into Alan Moulder of rock royalty (The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails & Them Crooked Vultures) and the result is sonic perfection.
While most of the tracks are fire-breathing dragons scorching heat into your backbone, stripped down “Take it Out on Me” feels like the evolution of the slow power ballads of the 80′s, well belonging to prom dance floors. Indeed, it seems every pace, mood and sound in existence is covered in this album… often all within individual tracks. “Something” is a tight 41 minutes, but the ground traversed makes it seem epic. With how seamlessly this album can remain on repeat, you’ll cover plenty of ground listening to “Something” on your Sidewalk Safaris.
Follow the band on twitter: @Chairlifted
Listen to the band’s music on MySpace: www.myspace.com/chairlift
Chris Martins (@CLMartwits) of A.V. Club reviews Chairlift- http://avc.lu/yj1vnf
and writes, “The group got its start at a Colorado college, then graduated to Williamsburg intent on making ‘live music for haunted houses.’”
Jeffrey Taylor of Glide Magazine (@glidemag ) reviews Chairlift- http://bit.ly/wcBSEU-
and writes, “Chairlift has nailed a style of their own, but makes it clear that they don’t want to be known for this alone.”
This album is featured on: Siafu Sounds Fresh Music: Winter 2012.
Something by Chairlift is available for purchase via:
iTunes
AMAZON:
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