Does You Inspire You [Bonus Tracks]

Personnel: Karen Codd (cello); Sasha Bell (flute); Christie Taylor (saxophone).
Audio Mixer: Britt Myers.
Recording information: Great City Productions, New York, NY; L'hotel Buswjick; Terrible Studios, Brooklyn, NY.
The Brooklyn based trio Chairlift owe a great deal of their fame to "Bruises," a quirky, synth-heavy single, prominently placed in an iPod ad. The band's debut full-length, DOES YOU INSPIRE YOU, displays a musical range beyond the danceable electro-pop featured in that break-out track. The laid-back, downtempo soundscapes that permeate the album are carried along by Caroline Polachek's haunting, ethereal vocals. And the kitschy synth instrumentation lends the melodies a near otherworldy quality reminiscent of New Age or low budget sci-fi film music. While some have criticized DOES YOU INSPIRE YOU as an uneven effort, the album's bright spots more than make up for any awkward fumbles, making it one of the more impressive debuts in recent memory.