Chairlift Something

I didn’t have high expectations for this album as their self-titled debut left me cold. It had the feeling of being haphazardly slapped together in the wake of their superstardom after “Bruises” got placement in an Apple ad. While that track and many others on the record proved to be infectious indeed, I found a lot of the lyrics to be annoyingly vapid, overly cutesy, and sometimes overtly idiotic. It was a poor showcase for Caroline Polachek’s dramatic and unique voice. But Chairlift have really pulled it together on “Something”, building on their abilities to construct catchy tunes and ditching the ditsy lyrics. Themes here are more fully realized, the songs are all dancefloor ready and feel more cohesive, and the band never tries too hard to get its jams across, imbuing each track with a self-assured coolness that was largely missing in their last effort.