Monday, January 30, 2012

Chairlift Live Sessions on The Alternate Side & NPR

Chairlift's sophomore album, Something, came out last week and now there's two opportunities to hear the band live via NPR's "World Cafe" and WFUV's "TAS In Session.  The band is now a duo -- since their 2009 debut, Does You Inspire You, founding member Aaron Pfennning left to go solo.  That left Caroline Polacheck and Patrick Wimberly to continue the band's momentum, with a strong showing with the first album, iPod commercial and record deal with a major label (Columbia).  The songs were supposedly written when the two were in love, though not with each other.  There is definitely a buoyancy to the music, confidently layered with electronic elements that made me wonder how their songs would be translated live.  They have added touring members Olga Bell, guitarist Jason McMahon and drummer Jamie Ingalls to round things out. (Wimberly plays bass while Polacheck sings.)  "TAS In Session" includes footage for a few songs as well as an interview -- good background for my upcoming interview opp for PopMatters!