Albums to watch

Something

Chairlift

Something

80s-inspired electronic pop on the 2nd album from the Brooklyn band, now a duo following the departure of founding member Aaron Pfenning

ADM rating[?]

7.4

Label
Young Turks
UK Release date
23/01/2012
US Release date
24/01/2012
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Angsty, dance-y, smart, and silly
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  2. 9.0 |   The Fly

    A joyous affair. Dark, bittersweet ballads, high-octane 80s electronics and innumerable hooks wrestle for centre stage, but the irrefutable star of the show is Polachek’s newly-unleashed vocal dexterity
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  3. 8.2 |   Beats Per Minute

    What we have on Something is Polachek and Patrick Wimberly sounding both confident and self-assured, and at the peak of their game
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  4. 8.0 |   Pitchfork

    In cutting away their baggage and hang-ups, Chairlift have opened themselves up to writing truly great pop
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  5. 8.0 |   BBC

    A confident, head-held-high reappraisal of the band’s MO, with the newly-promoted Wimberly a more than capable foil for Polachek’s songwriting smarts
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  6. 8.0 |   DIY

    Something’ is like a grand, multi-branched, ageing tree of 80s synth-pop, encompassing every variance of style and genre and recreating each classic movement with honour and aplomb
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  7. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    If anyone was intrigued but underwhelmed by Chairlift's debut then they will find much to be impressed with on a second album that is focused, coherent and, more importantly, absolutely chock full of excellent pop songs
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  8. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Uplifting, in every sense
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  9. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    Their musical pendulum has swung away from the Knife-like ambience of debut album Does You Inspire You, and closer to pure 1980s bliss
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  10. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    If indie pop's most anticipated acts don't deliver in 2012, Something could end up a strong and satisfying default listen for forward-thinking pop fans
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  11. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    Pillowy synths, soaring melodies and an equal affection for Blondie and T'Pau
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  12. 8.0 |   Blurt

    For a group that started off wanting to make background music for haunted houses, this is an enviable soundtrack of another size
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  13. 8.0 |   Q

    Unnervingly smart and catchy. Print edition only

  14. 7.5 |   Prefix

    If this record is any indication of Chairlift's future endeavors, they're likely to be pop mainstays
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  15. 7.5 |   The Quietus

    An unexpected triumph, then, and proof that whatever doesn't kill hipster synthpop bands makes them stronger
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  16. 7.5 |   Bowlegs

    It’s a modern record built from the sounds of another time – flirting with the 80s has rarely sounded this good
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  17. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Where their first album felt laboured, its successor presents its charms in a way that’s assertive, unaffected, and most importantly, a lot of fun
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  18. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    When Something fires on all cylinders ... it showcases a duo that manages to make tunes that are both infectious and substantial – no easy task
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  19. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A killer synth-pop genre piece
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  20. 7.0 |   NME

    While Chairlift recreate the plastic decade with far less sonic sabotage than the majority of their peers, they don’t play the revivalist card entirely straight
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  21. 7.0 |   Spin

    [They can] deliver such full-bodied arena-pop cheese while remaining so cool and detached
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  22. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    It exists in a purgatory between exceedingly modern and blatantly nostalgic, and as a result, it ends up being an extremely slow burner
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  23. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    Lush, fragrant, bright, elegant
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  24. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Chairlift haven't so much redefined their sound as papered over the cracks with an added coat of emulsion for good measure
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  25. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Despite all the cascading synth lines and all the unusual percussive rhythms, Something simply could not be as effective without a singer as realized and confident as Caroline Polachek
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  26. 6.0 |   Paste Magazine

    A generally enjoyable, but nonetheless generally unremarkable next step for the band
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  27. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    A band stuck between rock and an art place
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  28. 4.0 |   Uncut

    For the most part, tired melodies and banal lyrics make for a disappointing collection. Print edition only


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