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Title: Does You Inspire You
Artist: Chairlift
Genre: Electronic / Indie / Experimental 
Release Date: 22nd May 2009
Label: Columbia (Sony Music)



Album Review

The future guitarist and singer of CHAIRLIFT met by chance at the university and quickly discovered common musical interests and soon they found with Patrick Wimberly the perfect man too complete the line-up and CHHAIRLIFT. The result of the sound nerd’s studio work now can be heard in their first album ‘Does You Inspire You’.

With a pinch of minimal electronic and a lazy, jazzy attitude it is up to the track ‘Garbage’ to be the opener of the album and it doesn’t take long until we get presented the fascinating voice of Caroline Polacheck with a few indie guitars coming along with her. For the next good 4:20 minutes we’re leaving this celestial body we call home and venture out to ‘Planet Health’ which is a track that radiates such serene waves with its Far East melody glimpses, fluffy synth clouds and discreet drums that you’re instantly get totally relaxed and just good and there a line like ‘We’re feeling great tonight’ comes just in the nick of time. With ‘Earwig Town’ we’re not getting back to the real world yet but into a somewhat surreal sound cosmos that looks like it’s once again using jazz patterns. At least the greatly diversified drumming and distinct sound styling gives off that impression to me and one’s in danger to get lost in the dreamy natural and synthetic soundscapes magically drifting above them while contrasting male and female vocals ring out weightlessly like out of nowhere.

‘Le Flying Saucer Hat’ introduces a special French dialect to the way Caroline sings, gives her voice a very sensual touch and as for the song; it appears to me like a genuine 80s pop song in regards of orchestration and rhythm. What looks like a pretty straight pleasure at first with the next track, the ‘Dixie Gypsy’ turns out as an experimental, artfully conceived and realized little musical opus weaved out off influence streams from the avant-garde but still it retains a cunningly catchy flow in itself. ‘Chameleon Closet’ is sort of a little room through which sustained instrumental tones fly. For instance you can hear a trumpet, an accordion, or a vibraphone and all in one way or the other processed and an experience for sound fetishists. With the placid ‘Ceiling Wax’ the albums comes to an end and it’s a pleasure how the track progresses smoothly and slowly with muffled electronic loops, organ touches and percussion and somewhere along the path Caroline adds her captivating timbre.

The music on ‘Does You Inspire You’ is surely nothing for simple minds and its artistic quality first reveals after the record’s done a few spins inside your player and for that alone the trio already deserves kudos for that is not a virtue displayed in every musical work that frequently shoots its bolt with the first listen and then all that is left is sonic mediocrity. The set of instruments used in the process of creating this album varies from song to song. Some have more electronic gadgets and others are defined by elaborate organic structures showing that there are really skilled musicians at work but one instrument stays pretty much the same: Caroline Polacheck’s signature voice. Highly recommended for those that are constantly seeking good music off the usual paths!


Tracklist

01. Garbage - 4:45
02. Planet Health - 4:19
03. Earwig Town - 3:04
04. Bruises - 4:01
05. Somewhere Around Here - 4:31
06. Evident Utensil - 2:53
07. Territory - 6:06
08. Le Flying Saucer Hat - 3:17
09. Make Your Mind Up - 5:19
10. Dixie Gypsy - 4:03
11. Don't Give a Damn - 4:22
12. Chameleon Closet - 2:00
13. Ceiling Wax - 3:39


Line-up

Caroline Polachek
Aaron Pfenning
Patrick Wimberly


Website

http://chairliftmusic.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/chairlift


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8.5 / 10


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