AMG Review of Does You Inspire You

Andrew Leahey
All Music Guide

Despite sharing stages with the more visible members of New York's experimental indie scene -- including MGMT, Yeasayer, and Grizzly Bear -- Chairlift's own experiments didn't yield similar notice until late 2008, when "Bruises" found its way onto TV via a commercial for Apple's new iPod Nano. Whimsically atmospheric and full of gauzy synth, the song proved to be a fitting appetizer for Chairlift's debut album, which marries moody music with an arty, avant-garde bent. Does You Inspire You isn't meant to be digested in one sitting -- even the album's title requires a double take -- and Chairlift structure these songs accordingly, adding layers of futuristic production and bookishly offbeat lyrics to the mix. "I was trained in diversity in the garden of puberty where they Heimlich maneuvered me and they showed me how to make a baby," Caroline Polachek sings during "Planet Health," her voice echoing atop an '80s-styled arrangement of thumping bass and fantasy-movie keyboards. She's a chameleon throughout the record, singing in a seductive coo one minute and a strident, faux bravado the next, all the while adding a human element to Chairlift's blend of gossamer pop and Reagan-era retro kitsch. This being their debut record, the young musicians sometimes explore a bit too avidly, often emerging with jewels like "Territory" -- a piece of gothic, interstellar synth-pop that sounds like Björk phoning home from the space station -- and other times finding nothing but the misplaced country shuffle of "Don't Give a Damn." The latter song still sports a gorgeous conclusion with its cathedral harmonies and slide guitar, however, and the rest of Does You Inspire You follows suit, finding beauty and intrigue in the most unexpected of places.