The most hyped electro offering of 2008 thus far, hit the high street shelves a few weeks ago. Yeah you know what I’m referring to is Hot Chip’s new album ‘Made In The Dark’ – only monkeys on the moon have probably avoided the media promotion surrounding this release. Since lil ol EW had a burning curiosity about it, I managed to bag myself a purchase at a barginous £5. But it now looks like the fiver now seems to have inflated to £7.99 and I have therefore, been listening it all week.
It occurred to me that Mr. Blogstar Rajabulous has NOT a single day off blogging in months, so I thought I’d give the owner of the EQ Empire an opportunity to tools down for the day whilst I’ll attempt to occupy you EQs with my usual "banter-cum-review" style on Hot Chip’s latest…
The album opener "Out At The Pictures" has one of the longest intros in the history of electro me thinks! A synthesized drone of 1min 10 secs no less! If you can however, wait out the full 2 minutes until Alexis Taylor entertains with his comical lyrics based around the UK’s No 1 value for money hostely "Wetherspoons" then it does turn out a teensy bit exciting after all.
"Shake A Fist" see’s the boyz really playing with their keys – glorious rhythmic pulses make way for a "sounds of the studio" interlude – crazee but genius – sorta Chemical Brothers-cum-Space Invaders. Other tracks "Bendable Poseable"/"Don’t Dance" all very similar in style – as Alexis instructs "Crank up those headphones EQ’s!"
Without doubt the kookies fabbiest track of the collection is the current single release "Ready For The Floor". I don’t think I need to elaborate more as for once the Great British public and I see eye-to-eye and have sent this track spinning faster than a mirrorball into a top 10 position in our hit-parade.
If however, you are an EQ-er not from our little plot on the planet or are from Britannia but have had your woolly hat pulled too tightly over your ears during the last 2 months and haven’t heard, then you can check out "The Chips" live performance on the Jonathan Ross Show at the end of this summary.
"Ready For The Floor" is by no means the only quirksome lil ditty on offer here. "Touch Too Much" -has a flava reminiscent to that of New Order, whereas "Wrestlers" although rather plinkety plonk in it’s notation has the lyrical repetition that previous Hot Chip smash "Over and Over" had back on their 2006 album release "The Warning".
Amongst the throbbing throng of electro-beatz nestles a smattering of introspective electronica ballads. My personal favourite being the trancy dreamy "Were Looking For A Lot Of Love" – for me this is on the of the best electro lurve toones I’ve heard since EQ Royale member Darren Hayes – "The Only One".
The next single release is slated as being "One Pure Thought" a more guitar infused offering that makes EW ponder how well it will fair after the pure electrofest of "Ready For The Floor".
All in all there’s been enough dancy keyboard fabulousity to satisfy EW’s music whore hunger and to justify the fiver I spent.
Finally a few other interesting "Chips facts" for you…
- Did you know that Kylie approached them for contributions for her "X" album?
- Guitarist Al Doyle tours with LCD Soundsystem!
- Vocalist Alexis is recording an album with Green Gartside AKA 80’s Scritti Politti!
Well if that isn’t enough "Chips" info to quell your curious EQ’s requirements then you might likey to take a looky looky at their myspazzage. Or alternatively just enter "Hot Chip" into that "Gurgle" search engine thingy and it’ll be ever so obliging and reward you with links galore to clicky clicky on.