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Large walls of sound and
gothic tinged electronic pop

Yeasayer / Chairlift
Turner Hall
Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 29, 2008

Yeasayer

Chairlift

Story and photos by Matt Schwenke

Just days before Halloween, two bands from Brooklyn brought their experimental brand of indie music to Turner Hall, and while headliner Yeasayer was more meditative than haunting, opening act Chairlift fit the season aptly with their eerie, 80s electronica styled pop.

Incorporating a wide array of worldly styles from their 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals, the four-piece Yeasayer built up remarkably large walls of sound behind the multiple talents of lead singer Chris Keating, who also added keys, and singer Anand Wilder, who added guitar and a host of effects. With bassist Ira Wolf Tuton and drummer Luke Fasano laying down a solid rhythmic foundation, the band was particularly ominous in "Sunrise," which built up to a dance-friendly resolve, and particularly trance-inducing in "Wait For the Summer," which displayed the band's affinity for Middle Eastern psychedelia. The highlight of Yeasayer's set was "2080," which neared early Peter Gabriel genius in melding sounds from around the globe, but despite the band's talents and eclecticism, their sound often became a muddled mix heading in so many directions a chunk of the crowd gave up on trying to follow along.

Much more definitive in stylistic direction, the three-piece Chairlift delivered consistently gothic tinged electronic pop. Borne out of a project by singer/keyboardist Caroline Polachek and guitarist/singer Aaron Pfenning to write and record background music for haunted houses, the group has evolved, with drummer/bassist Patrick Wimberly, to brandish dark, moody and often detached sounds with a pop appeal. Their most straightforward pop offering "Bruises," which is featured on a recent iPod commercial, was delivered with a much rougher edge than on the commercial and had the crowd more intent on hearing what else the band had to offer instead of rushing out to buy an mp3 player. Noteables from the set included the dense weight of "Territory" and "Earwig Town," as well as the abrasive rock of "Make Your Mind Up," all with Polachek's incredibly dynamic voice leading the way. Without performing "Don't Give A Damn," off of the group's 2008 release Does You Inspire You and in which Polachek and Pfenning share lead vocal duty, Pfenning's backup vocals seemed out of place at times when paired against the commanding control of Polachek, as in the cynically detached "Planet Health." That aside, the only thing left to be desired from their brief set was more than seven songs.