Chairlift, an electronic pop duo currently based in Brooklyn, lifts “all of the bones in your body” to a higher ground. You can feel this elevation from the beginning of “Sidewalk Safari” with Patrick Wimberly’s production of an eerie background base. Coincidentally, Chairlift was originally a trio in Boulder, Colorado that created soundtracks for haunted houses. But beyond the bizarre, synthetic sounds, Caroline Polachek takes full command of the vocals. Her confident, jazzy voice is the perfect contrast to a trippy background – shifting fright into flamboyance.
Come January, Chairlift will have showcased its unique, hypnotic music in three stimulating albums. First it was the self-released Daylight Savings EP in 2007. Does You Inspire You (2008) featured “Evident Utensil,” which was nominated for the breakthrough video in 2009’s MTV Video Music Awards, as well as “Bruises,” which appeared an iPod Nano commercial. Chairlift has had bits of fame here and there, but the name will surely spread after people hear what’s next. “Sidewalk Safari” is on Chairlift’s third album, Something, which hits the market on January 24, 2012.