Evident Utensil, which is a song about the potency of written words and communicating by letter rather than some other flamboyant, modern method, loses some of its credibility because of its annoying lyrics: ‘The most evident utensil/is none other than a pencil.’
Chairlift – Does You Inspire You
http://www.myspace.com/chairlift
The lyrics sheet for this album folds out into a poster, the sole content of which is the words ‘Does You Inspire You’ written in big capital letters. Perhaps the wording on this poster, and the title of the album, is intended to encourage personal reflection among listeners, but surely a more pertinent question is whether the music is inspiring. Chairlift have some likeable characteristics, and DYIY has some great features, but overall this record is quite unfulfilling.
Does You Inspire You begins with a flourish. Garbage is an enticing opener which suggests the band have a relevant message to spread, bemoaning as it does the ‘plastic rooms and factories’ which make ‘shit for you to throw away’. The enigmatic Planet Health – where there is a ‘garden of lungs’ and a ‘desert of vitamins’ – immediately follows, and gives the album a great one-two opening salvo. Another positive aspect of DYIY is the playful songs which have amusing, twee lyrics and fun tunes. Bruises is known by many people who will never hear any other songs by Chairlift because it was used in an iPod advert. This isn’t something to hold against the band of course, and in fact it is an infectious and charming song (this is probably why the iPod advertising executives chose to use it). It shimmers with life and, as with most of the songs on this record, has stunning female lead-vocals.
Also in common with other songs here, it has something playful and youthful at heart. ‘I got grass stains on my knees for you and holes in my new jeans for you,’ go the lyrics, which brings to mind childlike, carefree rolling around on the ground. Evident Utensil does this too, more explicitly: ‘You see me rolling in the dirt/you see me crawling up the walls for you.’ This playfulness is welcome enough, but at times it goes to such an extent that it is hard to know whether to take this band seriously. Earwig Town is one such example. It has one of the best intros on the album, but an ineffectual attempt is made to conjure an alternative universe where this town might exist by combining bizarre lyrics and ethereal music, producing a weak end product. Evident Utensil, which is a song about the potency of written words and communicating by letter rather than some other flamboyant, modern method, loses some of its credibility because of its annoying lyrics: ‘The most evident utensil/is none other than a pencil.’
Most disappointing of all, through the final five songs the album seems to lose all momentum. Make Your Mind Up is lifeless, seeming as if the band couldn’t make their minds up what the song should be about, and Don’t Give A Damn is a country-style ballad which does nothing innovative or interesting. At all times the vocals of Caroline Polachek threaten to transcend the album’s weaknesses, stirringly and achingly beautiful as they are, but these are undermined by the male backing vocals, prominent on Bruises, which are flat and pedestrian.
Chairlift have a definable sound – sparse, atmospheric melodies created with synthesisers and guitars– (though this causes the songs to sound somewhat similar) – and there is enough evidence to suggest they could have released a strong EP. My impression is that they don’t have enough good songs for a full length debut however. Hopefully You inspire You, as Chairlift might not.
Words: Craig Pearce