Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Aaron Pfenning, vocalist/keyboardist Caroline Polachek and drummer Patrick Wimberly, Charilift are a low-key and engaging group. They’re best known for extremely catchy single “Bruises,” which was featured in Apple’s commercial debuting the 4th generation Nano. If you can say their last names, you win 10 points, but if you can listen to Does You Inspire You without tapping a limb to their simple, catchy beats, you win 20.
Does You Inspire You is a great Sunday morning-at-work album. It’s the perfect soundtrack for shaking off a hangover from late night partying, but won’t cause a migraine. Some songs, like “Somewhere Around Here,” are insanely simple and calming, while others, like “Bruises” or “Garbage,” are more serene and poppy.
As a whole, Does You is worth checking out, especially for the vocals. Pfenning and Polachek’s voices are all quirky and cool — in “Evident Utensil” Pfenning’s voice goes hilariously low while the drums are reminiscent of ’80s greatness. The breathlessness of Polachek’s voice is also widespread, ranging from pleasant to annoying. The use of the background instruments, however, during instrumental breaks — inluding melodic brass clinking — is grand.
All in all, Does You Inspire You, however uninspiring, is still a pretty decent album.