Chandeliers - The Thursh

Genre electro-pop Publisher Obey Your Brain

The word thrush can be loosely defined as several things.  It can be someone who sings popular songs, a group of songbirds, or an infectious disease.  The Thrush would probably be best described as all of the above.  The Chicago based “songbirds”, Chandeliers, have put together a group of songs that could be popular, and will most definitely be infectious.  The band mates, Harry Brenner, Chris Kalis, Dan Jugle and Scott McGaughey, all handle multiple instruments, and constantly change up their roles in the group. Chandeliers also seamlessly manage to bring in members from other bands, such as Mahjongg and Muca Pazza, to collaborate on The Thrush.  In fact, the quartet came together through the other bands they played with, such as Icy Demons and Bablicon.  The Thrush is Chandeliers' first full length LP.

'Mr. Electric' is a perfect start to The Thrush and gives listeners a good idea of what to expect from the album.  It is a tight synth-pop song with an almost ethereal undertone.  One could describe it as Kraftwerk meets Ray Lynch.  The next track, 'Maldonado', is mellow and easy to space out to.  'Mango Tree' is the only track with vocals, and although the vocals take away from the feel of the album a bit, the song is still quirky and interesting.  The title track will definitely get you grooving.  It could certainly be a hit among club-goers for its strong beat and hypnotic quality.  

'Big League' and 'Bamboo' sound like they were strongly influenced by Kraftwerk, which is quite an impressive comparison for Chandelier's debut album.  In fact, the entire album is very tight and professional which comes as a surprise considering the album's amateurish packaging.  The cover looks like a cheesy 80's knockoff, and the copy that was reviewed had some hand done drawings on it.  Thankfully what was inside was not only worth listening to, but something to be enjoyed.  Although The Thrush needs no definition, it will be something you will want to reference often.