By Kavit Sumud | January 4th, 2013
Most of you may know Chairlift from their uber-mega hit a year and a half ago called “Amanaemonesia.” Perhaps you even participated in the dance contest to recreate the iconic routine.
I, unfortunately, let the band go in one ear and out the other. It’s not totally my fault though; at the same time Summer Camp was whispering “I Want You“ while Niki and The Dove filled my ears with a “Gentle Roar,” and everyone was predisposed to M83′s trek through “Midnight City.” My ears were busy, man.
So, I was a bit surprised to find the band stripping away the manic energy in their recent demo and replacing it with a bit of bedroom-pop. “Grownup Blues” utilizes a simple piano arrangement interspersed with fuzz and what sounds like the clatter of a coffee shop. Coupled with the lyrical content, the production turns so insular you feel like you are swimming in the rush of the singer’s thoughts.
And the lyrical content really matters to me. Much of what never stuck with me about “Amanaemonisia” was that the neologism inspired in the title didn’t have a purpose other than that it sounded okay in Blondie-like hooks. But “Grownup Blues” masterfully uses the carnivalesque to give voice to the despondency of the American/European lost generation of 20-somethings.
It’s another rare example of “recession rock” –which is still a genre of music that I find so perplexingly absent (and after my post, others began to wonder of its absence as well). If Shufflers know of any indie songs in the last 3-4 years that deal with a young person’s perception of the recession, leave them in the comments and I’ll try to create a list out of them.