Chairlift - 'Bruises'

I couldn’t wait for this one to make its appearance in the UK. I bought this direct from the venerable Kanine records in the US. I needed to have it. The internet makes this music thing easy. And the pound/dollar rate isn’t what it was, but still, what I paid in postage I saved on the CD. In truth, not all of this record, nonsensically entitled Does You Inspire You, does it for me. There are times when it all gets a bit too knowing, the musical equivalent of comparing ironic 80’s fringes. There’s sometimes an obviously too kitsch kind of oriental synth thing going on there. Chairlift, you feel, are not above the odd arched eyebrow.

But ah, this, Bruises, first heard as a demo a bit back, is beautiful and fragile and, apart from its ending where they couldn’t resist adding a layer of whipped cheese, understated. Love hurts, and there’s a truth that cuts through any amount of tongue in cheek. There’s a childlike simplicity and repetition in the lyrics of this, but sweetness comes mixed with darkness. What self-abasement wouldn’t you perform for the one you love? Then the man comes in singing about frozen strawberries at precisely the right moment. And you never thought frozen strawberries could sound sad and romantic, until now.

This apparently comes out properly in October, or you can get it on the internet now, or you can go direct to Kanine, like I did. Evident Utensil is here too, and we’ve already established how great that is, right? So for those two, I’m in, and I’m listening to the rest of it, hoping to love it all. Pass me the eyeliner and something tartan, then.