After such a high-profile ad placement for their quirky electro-pop song ‘Bruises’ – it soundtracked the global television push for the iPod Nano-Chromatic range – it was inevitable that Brooklyn trio Chairlift would make the move from minor indie stable to major label with worldwide reach. Thusly, here arrives their album of last year, repackaged by Columbia and granted an official UK release.
But ‘Does You Inspire You’, its makers’ second LP, hasn’t simply been slipped out exactly as it was when issued by Kanine last September; not only have the eleven original tracks been re-mastered, but two additional songs have been added, namely ‘Le Flying Saucer Hat’ (a beguiling avant-disco oddity sung exclusively in French) and ‘Dixie Gypsy’ (produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, and something of darkly brooding affair). What’s more, they’re not stuck onto the record’s end like most ‘bonus’ tracks – instead, they’re integrated into the album’s sequencing, falling at mood-suiting moments of its progress.
So, it’s still the enveloping atmospherics of ‘Ceiling Wax’ that comprise a close to ‘Does You Inspire You’, the heavy-on-effects vocals of Caroline Polachek drifting in and out of focus as the trio’s music swells to a crescendo of subtle, sweeping electronica. It’s among the warmer offerings here, a track that aims its sights on the listener’s emotions, whereas others prove distracting for other reasons – be it their toe-tap-ability, or simply the accomplished nuances that allow Chairlift to convey their particular brand of pop without thoughts sliding to parallels to be drawn, or echoes assimilated and regurgitated.
Polachek’s vocals can be a little awkward on the occasions where she’s spitting them out with as much venom as she can muster – see opener ‘Garbage’ for some wordplay that doesn’t wholly click – but as showcased on the aforementioned breakthrough ‘Bruises’, her sweet delivery can pour honey on some off-colour topics: suffering injury, turning “pink and black and blue”, through attempting to impress someone’s hardly a common topic for many modern songwriters. The upbeat tempo of the track keeps the tone breezy even if the core message is a little less than safe, even if ultimately it’s as much a love song as any Celine Dion nightmare. Sorry, bad comparison: please don’t repeat it.
Instead, treat Chairlift – should you be a newcomer to the band – much in the same way as you would, say, School Of Seven Bells and M83. This record’s textural vibrancy carries it when the songwriting isn’t particularly arresting, the band primarily delivering understated beats and shimmering chimes in place of punchy, attention-grabbing percussion. And you could even offer forth a nod to Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Make Your Mind Up’ sizzles with an electric sparkle that Karen O would be hugely proud of. ‘Don’t Give A Damn’, meanwhile, will find favour with fans of M. Ward with its Americana overtones. All told, there’s variety on show, but never without regard for a cohesive ambience.
An accomplished album though it is, it’s hard to hear where the singles are coming from on ‘Does You Inspire You’; ‘Bruises’ aside, much of this is too delicate to make much of a radio mark. But, regardless, its major label reissuing is A Good Thing – import prices can be a right ball-ache when you’re HMV browsing on a lunch break.
