Two summers ago I saw Chairlift in Chicago and I left the show feeling fairly unaffected. Both they and the band they were opening for, Passion Pit, had both made the jump to major labels, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. Chairlift seemed timid almost locked in stone on stage and very distant from the people they were trying to entertain. I quickly forgot about the show and didn’t think too much about them after that, just another bedroom project that wouldn’t be able to move comfortably into the trappings of a major.
Something made me reconsider this judgment. Chairlift don’t seem to be hiding behind anything on this record, they’re fully confident in their sound, and willing to take risks even if it’s not always for the best. Caroline Polachek’s voice was completely swallowed up by accompaniment when I saw the band’s live performance, but here she’s out front on every track, and her presence reminds me a bit of Class Actress who enjoyed a coming out party last year. And though Chairlift still succumb to a lack of focus in some places the songwriting has improved greatly, Polachek and her band mate Patrick Wimberley take great pains to ensure each synth, each drum and each word hits its mark.
The general mood of the album moves between more demure material and some happier tracks that provide a bunch of honest-to-god, hands-in-the-air, lose-your-shit moments. "Amanaemonesia" and "Sidewalk Safari" are probably the most adventurous tunes here, not quite rock, but not quite the full on synth immersion that the rest of the album features, "Amanaemonesia", which is about magic and a made up ailment is a great cut of psych pop. "Ghost Tonight" and "Wrong Opinion" borrow liberally from new wave, while the back half of Something is made up of more reserved and refined tunes like "Frigid Spring" and "Turning", which reminded me of some of Saint Etienne’s slower jams. The centerpiece though is "I Belong In You Arms", someone must have already fast tracked it for inclusion in a teen TV Drama, it’s a powerful bit of dance music and Polachek comes across like an indie Kelly Clarkson, especially on the excellent chorus.
The later parts of Something are definitely weaker than the front end, songs like "Guilty as Charged" and "Met Before" seem to be holdovers from Chairlift’s beginnings. They’re just not as forward and sure of themselves, and as a result just bubble away into the background near the end of the record.
Thankfully though the majority of Something moves well past these bedroom/art school beginnings and loudly announces Chairlift’s presence. Their interest in the sounds of the 80’s could lead them to be grouped in with the other synth focused boy-girl groups that seem to be popping up everywhere these days, but looking beyond the surface will reveal a band that is hell bent on leaving a lasting mark and being much more than a flash-in-the-pan internet sensation.
Grade: B+
~Steve Dobek
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