Hey remember Hot Chip, that quirky electro dance band that always keeps it silly and fun? Well let me introduce you to Hot Chip, that quirky sometimes quirky electro dance electro dance-influenced indie band that always keeps it silly and fun sometimes keeps it silly and fun but suffers from heartbreak, just like the rest of us. Let me then introduce you to their fourth first album, One Life Stand.
As they have mentioned in several interviews, Hot Chip has shied away from the sometimes-considered “shallow” dance music for a more serious and complex sound. Frontman Alexis Taylor said in a BBC interview that the new album was not made with “short bursts,” but rather with time, making it a more cohesive record that focuses on the chorus and less on the repetition. The idea is to focus more on making “serious” music. So what has the English band, who is now 10 years old, created? An album that critically will earn them gobs of praise but will not put them back on the dance floor.
It’s often a trade-off in music and Hot Chip, who have enjoyed plenty of dance singles (“Over and Over,” “Ready For The Floor,” “Hold On”), are at a great place in their career to focus on their song writing. You can still hear the influence of their background in most of the songs, they’re just turned in a different direction. Opening track “Thieves In The Night” features a lot of the same synth you’re used to but the vocals and lyrics are much more serious and dismal. If you’re looking for the closest thing to Hot Chip’s previous sound you’ll find it on “One Life Stand,” which is one of the few danceable tracks on the album. But even it is markedly different.
Taylor and crew have really stepped up their game as musicians on some of the album’s gems like “I Feel Better,” “Brothers,” “Alley Cats” and the awesome closer “Take It In.” Lyrics have suddenly become a thing of great importance and influence from grandiose pop musicians are astonishingly apparent. One could say that the band reinvented itself, but the fact that they have also stayed so true to their overall sound and identity makes it more of an evolution. Although the old Hot Chip was something wonderful, we might have to leave a rose on it’s coffin because One Life Stand is a look into the great new future for the band.
Hot Chip – “One Life Stand” [MP3]
Hot Chip – “Alley Cats” [MP3]
Nice review – looking forward to buying this CD. I just saw them play an incredible live show and got to listen to some of the new album. The new Hot Chip sounds even *more* up-my-alley than the old Hot Chip. Those are some emotional boys. Awww