Hot chip have always had an uncanny ability to surprise. I don’t think anyone has ever gone in listening to a Hot Chip record thinking “Oh, these Hot Chip fellas, they’re SO predictable!”. Sure, they might be predictable in their unpredictability, but I suspect that’s a downward spiral into circular logic that Capt Kirk might use to make an evil computer blow itself up. Being an evil computer myself, I’d prefer we avoid that.
Point being, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect with their latest, Made In The Dark. After all, all the leaked tracks (aside from Soulwax’s typically amazing remix of ‘Ready For The Floor’) seemed to indicate a fondness for slower, balladesque numbers. Not that the band hadn’t always had those, but the seeming focus on that material, pre-release, had some of us wondering if that was an indicator that the band had embraced that sound more fully.
Well, if that had you worried, you’ve worked yourself up over nothing. There’s plenty of dance left in Hot Chip, and they remind you of that right from the start with album opener ‘Out At The Pictures’. It begins with a slow hum that gradually gains train-like momentum, eventually impacting against the song’s ultimate beat. It all builds together until the 1:45 mark, where it ends up sounding like an old Motown groove. Of course, since this is Hot Chip, the song transforms several times before it’s all said and done. Track 2, ‘Shake A Fist’, switches gears into an almost tribal rhythm initially, before a mid-track, spoken-word breakdown and sound spectacular. Next comes the 1-2 punch of ‘Ready For The Floor’ & ‘Bendable Poseable’; the former being an obvious future dancefloor staple, and the latter reminding me of some kind of mad scientist’s toy assembly line with it’s damn-near hypnotic and oft-repeated chant of ‘Bendable. Poseable. Bendable. Poseable.’.
Of course, the glue for any Hot Chip record is Alexis Taylor’s vocals, and he’s out in force on this record. He infuses warmth into what could otherwise be a rather cold electronic affair. That’s most obvious on some of those infamous slower numbers, like ‘We’re Looking For A Lot Of Love’, ‘Made In The Dark’, and ‘In The Privacy Of Our Love’. The instrumentation is merely atmosphere to surround Taylor’s glowing harmonies.
Now we come to what has quickly become my absolute favorite track on the entire album - ‘One Pure Thought’. It begins in a very unHotChipian fashion, building from a simple, almost 50’s guitar riff. A synth comes in like a ray of sunshine, followed by Taylor singing ‘What is it I don’t remember/Made my being so much better/If I could have/Just one pure thought’. Of course, in typical HC fashion the song switches gears a bit at that point, but guitar remains a strong driving force throughout the track. I can’t quite put into words why this track works so well, but when I first heard it I got that tingly feeling you get when you hear a song from your past that you associate with a specific place & time or person. It’s an instant classic. Plus, you have to give them extra points for referencing the Macarena. ‘Wrestlers’ manages to be just a little bit hip-hop, while ‘Hold On’ is a full-fledged disco odyssey - clocking in at 6:21, it’s the longest track on the album.
Overall, I’d say Made In The Dark is a crowning achievement for Hot Chip, properly fusing their loudest and quietest moments in perfect balance, in addition to being their most soulful and heartfelt work to date. I’ll be truly shocked if this doesn’t end up on a dozen ‘Best Of’ lists by the end of the year.
Listen: Hot Chip - One Pure Thought
- Sean
