Chairlift, brainchild of singer/keyboardist/composer Caroline Polachek, has been one of our favorite NYC pop bands since they broke out back in 2008, when they graced the cover of our Best of NYC issue – those were the times of single "Bruised," blessed by an Apple ad.
Caroline is now announcing the release of a solo album – to be released on Terrible Records in April – under the moniker Ramona Lisa. Preview single and video "Arcadia" (streaming below) shows us an unexpectedly gloomy atmoshpere, so much so that we are tempted to think this is not just a parallel project, but alsmost a Chairlift antithesys – a necessary outlet of somebody who starts feeling curbed by pop music’s brightly colored straitjacket? Gone are the upbeat rhythms and the uplifting melodies, gone the meticulous and somewhat intricate production. A completely anti-pop 2 minute drumless instrumental intro guide us to the haunting vocal melody, which betrays Gregorian influences. The song is rather uneventful, like a beautiful, intimate chant that listens to itself, rather than being projected out to others. And that’s exactly what pop music is not.
We realized that Caroline had serious balls when we saw this video, this record only comes as a confirmation.