Hot Chip | ||
| Allmusic Biography : One of the most distinctive and innovative bands combining dance music and indie in the 2000s and 2010s, Londons Hot Chip made their mark with the release of their 2000 debut, Mexico. The EP was a hypnotic wash of nearly subliminal, pulse-like techno beats, acoustic guitars, and plinky pianos, but the vocals were the true star of the show. The voices of Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard are a fine study in contrast: Taylors dreamy, effortless falsetto cuts to the heart of the beauty of performers like Jeff Buckley and Nick Drake, while Goddards cool monotone sounds world-weary and gruff in comparison. Self-released by Hot Chip in 2002, Sanfrandisco E-Pee dabbled in more playful sounds, from the beatbox dubbing of the title track to the closing notes of "Fanta," in which Taylor pleads with the listener to "make sounds of the summer." The group signed to revered N.Y.C. record label DFA in 2005 and released the Over and Over EP, as well as the excellent 2006 full-length The Warning, which was followed by a DJ-Kicks mix album in 2007. Late that year, the Grammy nominated single "Ready for the Floor" heralded the arrival of Made in the Dark, which featured some of the bands most focused grooves and poppiest melodies to date. The mellower One Life Stand followed in 2010, along with a remix collection later that year. Hot Chip left DFA for Domino, which released the more uptempo, experimental In Our Heads in 2012 and the following years Dark and Stormy EP. The band returned in 2015 with Why Make Sense?, which found them reuniting with In Our Heads producer Mark Ralph and exploring sounds ranging from disco to 90s R&B; to post-punk. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 20 Title: Mexico EP Released: 2000-03-01 Tracks: 6 Duration: 30:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Beeting (06:13) 2 Tape Spool Sound (04:14) 3 Perfect Circle (07:54) 4 The Only One, Yeah (02:34) 5 Sometimes All I Need (03:34) 6 Mersion/Version (06:05) |
 | Album: 2 of 20 Title: Sanfrandisco E-Pee Released: 2002-10-22 Tracks: 5 Duration: 26:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sanfrandisco (05:46) 2 Making Tracks (05:41) 3 Flaw (05:37) 4 I Do (03:27) 5 Fanta (06:04) |
 | Album: 3 of 20 Title: Down With Prince Released: 2004-03-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Down With Prince (?) 2 The Ass Attack (?) 3 Sexual Chocolate (?) 4 A-B-C (?) |
 | Album: 4 of 20 Title: Coming On Strong Released: 2004-05-24 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:05:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Take Care (06:36) 2 The Beach Party (03:19) 3 Keep Fallin (04:05) 4 Playboy (05:05) 5 Crap Kraft Dinner (04:07) 6 Down With Prince (04:03) 7 Bad Luck (04:50) 8 You Ride, We Ride, in My Ride (05:35) 9 Shining Escalade (05:11) 10 Baby Said (04:58) 11 One One One (03:40) 12 A-B-C (04:35) 13 Hittin Skittles (04:33) 14 From Drummer to Driver (04:23) |
| Coming On Strong : Allmusic album Review : Just one year after the release of their Victory Garden debut, the gorgeous rainy day soundtrack Mexico, Englands Hot Chip return with the cheekily titled Sanfrandisco E-Pee on their own Ringsting Recordings label. This time around, the boys drift briefly away from the sparse acoustic melancholia of the Mexico, and experiment further with peppy lo-fi techno blips and beeps. However, the star of the show remains Alexis Taylors effortlessly heavenly vocals, in the tradition of Nick Drake, Smokey Robinson, or Jeff Buckley, but without the sort of haughty pretension such comparisons might imply. Suffice to say, Chris Martin can only dream about having this much soul. The album-opening title track is a surprisingly playful number that pairs quirky instrumentation with tipsy, talky vocals to great, dancey faux-disco effect while "Making Tracks" finds Hot Chip returning to the sweet acoustic techno-lite sound that propelled much of the Mexico. On "Making Tracks," a beat machine carries on quietly in the background amid shimmering acoustic guitars, which are topped off with Taylors heartbreaking vocals, soft and gentle, as though hes singing to himself in the night, careful not to disturb the neighbors. Similarly beautiful, "Flaw" is driven by a dull percussive sound evoking the rhythm of a solemn heartbeat, as Taylor this time trades vocals with bandmate Joe Goddard, whose voice sounds equally aching and lonely, though just a bit more downtrodden, making the combination of the two singers perfect. The boys venture into a jangly country-esque realm with "I Do," and wrap things up with another duet between Goddard and Taylor called "Fanta," which features a hypnotic chorus mantra of "Make sounds of the summer.../So sweet, youre in love now." Those who think Beth Orton, Beck, or Portishead have the market cornered on lovely songs melding tech and acoustic pop are sorely mistaken, and would be well-served to check out Hot Chip immediately. With any luck, this outfit will start to garner the degree of recognition it deserves, soon. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 20 Title: Live At The Horseshoe, Toronto Released: 2006 Tracks: 7 Duration: 45:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Careful (03:52) 2 And I Was A Boy From School (06:48) 3 Colours (07:06) 4 Down With Prince (05:24) 5 No Fit State (06:36) 6 Crap Kraft Dinner (06:58) 7 Over And Over (08:30) |
 | Album: 6 of 20 Title: The Warning Released: 2006-05-22 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Careful (03:28) 2 And I Was a Boy From School (05:19) 3 Colours (05:28) 4 Over and Over (05:47) 5 (Just Like We) Breakdown (04:12) 6 Tchaparian (03:20) 7 Look After Me (04:49) 8 The Warning (04:51) 9 Arrest Yourself (02:31) 10 So Glad to See You (04:05) 11 No Fit State (05:38) 12 Wont Wash (02:35) |
| The Warning : Allmusic album Review : Keeping their hot streak of spotting quality artists when they hear them, the good folks at DFA welcomed to their already diverse and talented roster Hot Chip. The "Over and Over" teaser single featured the band in rocking fashion, complete with DFA signature production and a chorus courtesy of Alexis Taylor that sounds hauntingly similar to something Paul McCartney would write had he been paying attention to the music of the youth in his own backyard. A definite departure and a step in the right direction over 2005s inconsistent full-length Coming on Strong, Hot Chips creative maturity is immediately evident in the energetic opening. "Careful," which is laced with punchy, crisp hi hats and snare drums, then gives way to the dramatic "And I Was a Boy from School." Theyve gone beyond the quirky electro-pop into something much more focused and pop friendly (especially with the bands tight vocal harmonies). The title track has production that wouldnt be out of place on I Am Robot and Prouds last few records, or Postal Service outtakes. But like these artists, Hot Chip focuses more on song arrangements and structure rather than technology and programming showmanship. It sums up the core of what made The Warning so accessible and enjoyable right from the onset: its like listening to early New Order records for the first time, waiting for the next one with a little bit of excited anticipation to see whats going to happen next with every new song. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 20 Title: DJ-Kicks: Hot Chip Released: 2007-05-21 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:08:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nitemoves (04:08) 2 I Got a Man (01:10) 3 Like You (01:48) 4 Persuasion (01:35) 5 B1 (02:03) 6 Cademar (00:39) 7 My Piano (DJ-Kicks) (04:38) 8 Short Road (03:18) 9 Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep Pettibone extended remix) (03:08) 10 Jiggle It (02:04) 11 In the Basement, Part One (01:52) 12 On Just Foot (02:13) 13 Der Buchdrucker (06:17) 14 Film 2 (03:12) 15 Radio Prague (00:20) 16 Far East (02:30) 17 Doppelwhipper (live) (03:44) 18 You Got Good Ash (02:49) 19 The Stone That the Builder Rejected (06:26) 20 The Mans Got Me Beat (01:55) 21 Love Affair (02:06) 22 Just Fucking (Roman Flügels 23 Positions in a One-Night Stand remix) (02:59) 23 Steppin’ Out (04:22) 24 Mess Around (02:40) |
| DJ-Kicks: Hot Chip : Allmusic album Review : Ask a crate-crawling muso "What kind of music do you listen to?" and youll probably send him to ground twitching. Ask him for a mixtape and hell stay up all night creating a set of ten CD-Rs that bounce genres like nobodys business, then badger you one day later with "Did you listen to it?," "How far did you get?," and "What did you like?" Luckily, quirky pop nerds Hot Chip dont know where you live, which makes this doomed mishmash of everything The Wire magazine might write about -- plus a New Order track -- worth considering, especially if youre a Hot Chip fan and would like to look inside their heads. On their volume of K7s long-running DJ Kicks series, classic hip-hop tracks that make snobs sentimental (Positive K) rub next to difficult people you should know (This Heat), while U.K. garage (Wookie), tropicalia (Tom Zé), and icy new wave (Grauzone) all make cameos. Add Joe Jackson and Ray Charles at the end and you really have something for everyone, which would probably sound amazing in the hands of cut-up, mash-up masters like Steinski, Coldcut, and DJ Z-Trip. Hot Chip dont aspire to recontextualization or freaking anyone out with their DJ prowess and while the CD is mixed, it only flows in parts and only for so long before an impossible genre jump makes feeling the bump unavoidable. All that said, if youre only aware of half of these artists youve got hours of Internet searching and rewards ahead of you, and Hot Chips choices in modern minimal house and other fringe dance music flavors are fantastic. Including the ridiculously fun "Jiggle It" from Def Jam teen Young Leek deserves a high five and the groups own previously unreleased contribution, "My Piano," is that great combination of beautiful and strange that makes this crew special. In the end they dont come off as unapproachable showoffs and avoid sounding too smart for their own good as much as they possibly could. File this next to John Peels Fabriclive.07 and all those equally cumbersome and fascinating mixtapes youve been gifted. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 20 Title: Made in the Dark Released: 2008-02-04 Tracks: 13 Duration: 54:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Out at the Pictures (04:26) 2 Shake a Fist (05:10) 3 Ready for the Floor (03:53) 4 Bendable Poseable (03:46) 5 Were Looking for a Lot of Love (04:43) 6 Touch Too Much (04:05) 7 Made in the Dark (03:00) 8 One Pure Thought (04:53) 9 Hold On (06:20) 10 Wrestlers (03:45) 11 Dont Dance (04:42) 12 Whistle for Will (02:23) 13 In the Privacy of Our Love (02:52) |
| Made in the Dark : Allmusic album Review : Before The Warning, Hot Chip was poppy, but not exactly pop; their songs had clever ideas, but were missing the pieces they needed to really make an impact. The Warning brought those pieces together with a satisfying click, making the bands music immediate as well as pleasingly off-kilter. Made in the Dark isnt quite as big a leap forward as The Warning was, but it doesnt need to be -- Hot Chip has already hit their stride, and now their pop machinery chugs along at full speed. Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddards dry wit is illuminated by neon melodies and punctuated by attention-getting beats, as it was on The Warning, but that album had clear-cut singles, including "Over and Over" and "And I Was a Boy from School." Here, its wonderfully unclear which songs are the A-sides, aside from the brilliant lead single, "Ready for the Floor," which was the first clue that Made in the Dark was going to be something special. It builds from a rubber band bassline, piling nervy guitars, synths that sound like they were borrowed from Tacos "Puttin on the Ritz" or Matthew Wilders "Break My Stride," and a cheery yet bittersweet melody into a perfect fusion of pop and dance that is definitely ready for the floor. The rest of Made in the Dark boasts some of Hot Chips most kinetic music, with rhythms and melodies that are just as hyper-articulate as the wordplay: it takes a special kind of perverse wit to name one of the albums most head-noddingly insistent songs "Dont Dance." "Bendable Poseable," on the other hand, is exactly as wiggly as the title implies, and its ragga-tinged spoken word bits show that Hot Chips sound is more than bendable enough to accommodate almost any styles or influences that Taylor and Goddard want to fit into it. Made in the Dark expands Hot Chips emotional range as much as their musical range, swinging from the funky, pissed-off "Shake a Fist" to the stream-of-consciousness pop of "One Pure Thought," a witty, wordy gem that comes across like Paul McCartney backed by New Order. Made in the Darks main weakness might be its ballads, but that may just be in comparison to its many energetic moments, which are so addictive that it feels like a forced come-down whenever the band slows things down. On their own terms, however, "Were Looking for a Lot of Love" is luminously sad, and the title tracks heartfelt simplicity and restraint is impressive. And while "Whistle for Will" and "In the Privacy of Our Love" end the album on a strangely sleepy note, their awkwardness might make them a little sweeter precisely because theyre not slick. Without these ballads, Made in the Dark would have the ruthless perfection of a greatest-hits collection; as it is, its just a very, very good album. Hot Chip has honed their skills so much and so quickly that theyre almost unrecognizable from the band that made Coming on Strong just three years before. Theyre still a quirky band, no doubt, but now theyre using those quirks to make their most accomplished album to date. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 20 Title: Over and Over (The B-Sides) Released: 2008-03-31 Tracks: 8 Duration: 39:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Over and Over (radio edit) (03:50) 2 Grubbs (03:54) 3 Sexual Healing (05:00) 4 Plastic (03:32) 5 A Family in Here (Hot Chip original mix) (04:44) 6 The Girl in Me (04:03) 7 (Just Like We) Breakdown (Booka Shade Vox mix) (07:16) 8 (Just Like We) Breakdown (Booka Shade dub mix) (07:26) |
 | Album: 10 of 20 Title: Colours (The B-Sides) Released: 2008-03-31 Tracks: 7 Duration: 30:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Colours (radio edit) (03:36) 2 Music From Electric and Musical Industries (05:40) 3 Take a Gamble (02:06) 4 Gang Can Dance (03:47) 5 Disguise (04:16) 6 (Just Like We) Breakdown (Booka Shade Vox mix) (07:16) 7 Careful (careful version) (03:29) |
 | Album: 11 of 20 Title: iTunes Live: Berlin Festival Released: 2008-05-27 Tracks: 6 Duration: 33:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Over and Over (06:20) 2 Out at the Pictures (03:58) 3 One Pure Thought (06:34) 4 Dont Dance (04:22) 5 No Fit State (07:09) 6 Ready for the Floor (04:59) |
 | Album: 12 of 20 Title: Hot Chip with Robert Wyatt and Geese Released: 2008-12-22 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Made in the Dark (02:59) 2 Whistle for Will (02:33) 3 We’re Looking for a Lot of Love (05:24) 4 One Pure Thought (remixed by Geese) (04:29) |
 | Album: 13 of 20 Title: A Bugged Out Mix Released: 2009-04-29 Tracks: 44 Duration: 2:26:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nah und Fern (01:01) 2 Space Bumps (01:15) 3 Schmedding (04:03) 4 Cest la vie (02:16) 5 The Claim (03:47) 6 Dont Take It (Thomos edit) (00:30) 7 Deliberately Selected (03:38) 8 Blast (01:22) 9 00/346 & 00/380 (Dandy Jack & The Queen of Mars remix) (03:53) 10 Torque (03:29) 11 Hope (03:27) 12 Junktion (03:57) 13 Cosmic Sandwich (Cosmic Sandwich remix) (02:01) 14 Take It In (02:49) 15 Moody Bastard (01:32) 16 One2One (03:15) 17 Yeke Yeke (Afro Acid mix) (04:14) 18 Chiclets Theme (06:16) 19 Eucalypse Now! (02:52) 20 Bloody Notes (Butch remix) (01:29) 21 Melodrama (04:57) 22 Karambolage (Oxia remix) (02:49) 23 Bubble in the Bottle (Pepe Braddock remix) (01:17) 24 I (long version) (08:14) 1 Winter Home Disco (Hot Chip remix) (04:28) 2 Rum & Coca Cola (03:05) 3 Apeman (01:19) 4 Street Liming (03:26) 5 Party Rhythm (05:58) 6 16th Stage (04:31) 7 London Town (02:40) 8 Love in Store (02:42) 9 What a Fool Believes (03:13) 10 I Cant Resist (Sick of My Music mix) (01:36) 11 House Jam (Hot Chip remix) (04:11) 12 I Cant Go for That (No Can Do) (03:01) 13 Shake a Puddin (04:01) 14 Never Too Much (03:21) 15 Wishing Well / Fix Up, Look Sharp (04:16) 16 Just a Friend (03:52) 17 The Number One Song in Heaven (03:39) 18 Looking for Clues (04:51) 19 I Want to Be Your Man (04:09) 20 Bring It on Home to Me (03:17) |
 | Album: 14 of 20 Title: Live at Alexandra Palace: 10-11-2010 Released: 2010 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:12:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Boy From School (06:16) 2 One Pure Thought (05:01) 3 Thieves (05:56) 4 One Life Stand (05:24) 5 Over and Over (05:40) 6 Hand Me Down (06:01) 7 Alley Cats (05:43) 8 Take It In (05:07) 9 Shake a Fist (04:48) 10 We Have Love (04:56) 11 Hold On (06:42) 12 I Feel Better (05:27) 13 Ready for the Floor (05:55) |
 | Album: 15 of 20 Title: We Have Remixes EP Released: 2010 Tracks: 4 Duration: 24:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hand Me Down Your Love (Todd Edwards Micro Chip Remix) (06:41) 2 We Have Love (Hot City Remix) (04:59) 3 Brothers (Caribou Remix) (05:10) 4 Take It In (Osborne Remix) (07:17) |
 | Album: 16 of 20 Title: One Life Stand Released: 2010-01-29 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Thieves in the Night (06:09) 2 Hand Me Down Your Love (04:33) 3 I Feel Better (04:41) 4 One Life Stand (05:23) 5 Brothers (04:21) 6 Slush (06:29) 7 Alley Cats (05:21) 8 We Have Love (04:28) 9 Keep Quiet (04:02) 10 Take It In (04:10) |
| One Life Stand : Allmusic album Review : When thinking of Hot Chip, wonky dancefloor movers like “Over and Over” and “Ready for the Floor” are what spring to mind first. However, they’ve always balanced those songs with vulnerable moments, and their sensitive side dominates One Life Stand -- they don’t sound ready for the floor, they sound ready to settle down. Even the most energetic songs feel tempered compared to the neon energy of Made in the Dark and The Warning’s hits, and the album’s more serious feel is immediately apparent on “Thieves in the Night.” Despite its four-on-the-floor pulse and careening synths, Alexis Taylor’s yearning is palpable when he sings “happiness is what we all want.” That sense of urgency drives most of these meditations on deep and lasting love, monogamy, and family, but it’s not the life-or-death variety; it’s more mature than that, accepting that you only have one life to live, so you should find someone you love and live it with them. At its best, One Life Stand is remarkably clear-eyed about that ideal: the title track’s dance between minor and major keys, between doubt and joy, is a brilliant expression of just how complicated happily-ever-after can be. While focusing on vulnerability and maturity is a brave choice for this often cerebrally playful band, it doesn’t always work. “I Feel Better” is a dramatic, Latin-tinged mix of synthetic strings and real emotions, but “Slush” drags, as does “Brothers,” Joe Goddard’s paean to playing Xbox with his family. Later in the album, though, he makes domesticity sound blissful with “Alley Cats”’ rippling guitars, while “We Have Love”’s undeniable groove and “Take It In”’s soft rock-meets-synth pop leanings show that Hot Chip can keep their clever sonics and bare their souls. Though this emotional nakedness is an unusual move after Made in the Dark pushed Hot Chip to a new level of attention and acclaim, it also shows they’re in it for the long haul. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 20 Title: In Our Heads Released: 2012-06-08 Tracks: 23 Duration: 2:03:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Motion Sickness (05:21) 2 How Do You Do? (04:45) 3 Dont Deny Your Heart (04:31) 4 Look at Where We Are (03:59) 5 These Chains (04:16) 6 Night & Day (04:31) 7 Flutes (07:05) 8 Now There Is Nothing (04:00) 9 Ends of the Earth (05:41) 10 Let Me Be Him (07:41) 11 Always Been Your Love (05:04) 1 Jelly Babies (05:21) 2 Doctor (04:01) 3 Look at Where We Are (Major Lazer vs. Junior Blender Digital Drums remix) (04:02) 4 Night and Day (Daphni mix) (07:38) 5 Flutes (A JD Twitch Optimo remix) (08:06) 6 Night & Day (demo) (04:41) 7 Now There Is Nothing (demo) (03:38) 8 Babies (demo) (03:45) 9 How Do You Do? (demo) (03:45) 10 Flutes (demo) (06:32) 11 Night & Day (Moretime remix) (07:19) 12 Let Me Be Him (Joes dub) (08:01) |
| In Our Heads : Allmusic album Review : After 2010s relatively somber One Life Stand, Hot Chips members resurfaced in side projects including the About Group, the 2 Bears, and New Build, all of which took different approaches to electro-pop but shared an almost tangible joy in music-making. It sure feels like some of that happiness rubbed off on In Our Heads, one of Hot Chips most confident, joyous, and danceable albums yet; if the bands previous album was about how seriously they take the relationships in their lives, then this album explores how much fun they have in them. "Remember when we first heard the wall of sound?," Alexis Taylor asks on the soaring album opener, "Motion Sickness." This intermingling of love, music, and love of music -- all propelled by some of Hot Chips most undeniable rhythms -- carries through the rest of In Our Heads, whether its the breezily endearing 80s synth pop reinventions of "Dont Deny Your Heart," the life-affirming electro-funk of "How Do You Do?," or the soulful surrender of "These Chains" (like many of the albums numerous highlights, these two songs have Taylor and Joe Goddard share lead vocal duties). Hot Chip let their unabashed love of dance music get the upper hand on two of In Our Heads most show-stopping tracks -- which, probably not coincidentally, were both lead singles for the album. "Night & Day" is one of the bands most playful and sneakily sexy dancefloor movers since "Ready for the Floor," all wriggling basslines and deadpan rap ("I like Zapp, not Zappa/So please quit your jibber-jabber," Taylor insists at one point). Meanwhile, the smooth house underpinnings on "Flutes" make its seven-minute journey from doubt to love all the more transporting. In Our Heads is also Hot Chips most direct album yet, delivering their quirks and grooves with bigger, broader strokes that dont feel dumbed down; "Let Me Be Him" spells out the albums themes, but also decorates them with chirping birds and languid guitars that sound like an idyllic afternoon in a park. That Hot Chip manage to balance their kinetic and confessional sides so well here is no small feat, and In Our Heads is some of their finest and most accessible music, which is an extra treat for fans who liked One Life Stands sentiments but wished that album moved feet as easily as it moved hearts. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 20 Title: Why Make Sense? Released: 2015-05-15 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Huarache Lights (05:29) 2 Love Is the Future (04:31) 3 Cry for You (04:18) 4 Started Right (03:43) 5 White Wine and Fried Chicken (03:00) 6 Dark Night (05:27) 7 Easy to Get (05:10) 8 Need You Now (04:45) 9 So Much Further to Go (03:12) 10 Why Make Sense? (05:14) |
| Why Make Sense? : Allmusic album Review : Its interesting to note that Hot Chips string of great albums -- beginning with Made in the Dark -- coincided with their exploration of the joys of long-term relationships. Celebrating monogamy while avoiding monotony applies to how they make music, as well: on the surface, Why Make Sense? is another album of wry, kinetic electro-pop from a group that has mastered the style, but it also builds on Hot Chips roots -- and dance musics origins -- in ways that sound fresh. The band reunited with In Our Heads producer Mark Ralph, and they expand on that albums joyousness, this time imbuing it with elements of R&B;, hip-hop, and, especially, disco. "Huarache Lights" feels like the albums mission statement, from its slow and steady groove and un-ironic talkbox to its sample of First Choices "Let No Man Put Asunder," a sizzling disco testament to commitment that was also sampled by the prime movers of house and technos early days. Later, Bernard Fowlers cameo on Sinnamons "I Need You Now" injects an extra dose of passion into the gorgeous "Need You Now." However, unlike Daft Punks Random Access Memories -- another love letter to dance musics early days -- Why Make Sense? finds Hot Chip looking toward the future. For every moment that sounds like a vintage sample, such as the spiky clavinet running through "Started Right," theres another like "Love Is the Future," where the cameo by De La Souls Posdnuos reclaims old-school optimism for the 21st century. Elsewhere, Hot Chips ballads feel even more natural than they did before, with "White Wine and Fried Chicken" delivering emotional and musical comfort food. Still their message is most vibrant on the most danceable songs, such as "Dark Night" and "Easy to Get." It all adds up to a potent reminder that when it comes to life and music, you cant have a future without a past; on Why Make Sense?, Hot Chip explore both in confident and exciting ways. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 20 Title: Dancing in the Dark Released: 2015-10-23 Tracks: 4 Duration: 25:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Dancing in the Dark (06:33) 2 Cry for You (RAK version) (04:36) 3 Huarache Lights (Soulwax remix) (05:44) 4 Huarache Lights (A/JUS/TED remix) (08:21) |
 | Album: 20 of 20 Title: A Bath Full of Ecstasy Released: 2019-06-21 Tracks: 9 Duration: 47:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Melody of Love (04:18) 2 Spell (06:18) 3 Bath Full of Ecstasy (04:00) 4 Echo (04:40) 5 Hungry Child (06:05) 6 Positive (05:37) 7 Why Does My Mind (04:14) 8 Clear Blue Skies (06:45) 9 No God (05:38) |