Music

Review of Chairlift

When skimming the list of the most successful New York females in the their twenties posted by NY Mag I spotted the name Caroline Polachek. Naturally, the name Caroline struck me. How I wished that Polachek could be changed to McCauley. I even imagined the picture of the flawless pale-skinned, dark hair beauty being replaced by my own image. After my vain daydream, I was intrigued by this peacefully, angelic-like looking figure with soft eyes and strong, defining cheekbones. Who was she? Was she a model? Her features were undoubtedly modelesque.

Caroline Polachek is a multi-talented female vocalist, songwriter, tambourine, and syntesizer for the up-and-coming American synthpop duo, Chairlift. Polachek is living proof that beauty, intelligence, and uncanny musical abilities can thrive in a woman. With her smooth voice that can hit an unprecedented number of pitches, Caroline brings an irreplaceable amount of energy and brilliance to the Brooklyn-based band.

Chairlift started out as a project between her and Aaron Pfenning in 2005 when they were just students at the University of Colorado. Destiny paired these two together by the eccentric thought to make background music for haunted houses. With this intention, Polachek and Pfenning recorded the beginning of Daylight Savings at New Monkey Studio in Los Angeles, California in April 2006. The driven duo then moved to Williamsburg, Brookyln in August 2006. After getting their bearings in Brooklyn and NYC, they signed with Kanine Records in June 2007.  An additional member, Patrick Wimberly, added another hue of artistic ability to the band in the same year. Their first full-length album Does You Inspire You in 2008 was a sensation. Polachek’s stellar vocals in the song “Evident Utensil” was nominated for an award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Though the original duo divided, with Pfenning pursuing a solo career, the Polachek-Wimberly duo released their second album Something with success.

My favourite song from Chairlift is “Met before,” with its welcoming, cheerful beat and its catchy phrase of “when you look at me and smile.” This song makes me not only want to smile but to jump on a trampoline and eat a popsicle. That inclination may be stranger than wanting to create background music for haunted houses. But, hey, who knows what it may lead to.

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