Album of the Week: Hot Chip’s one frustrating band
Hot Chip: One Life Stand
Hot Chip may have helped usher in the electro-pop age, but they still haven’t fully mastered it. And while their third record, One Life Stand, is tighter than its messy predecessor Made In the Dark, it suffers from the same frustrating problems: an over-indulgence in slushy ballads and an under-commitment to the band’s near-peerless envelope-pushing dancefloor-friendly tracks. For every “I Feel Better,” with its that’s-how-you-do-AutoTune shimmer, and the snare-drum-and-piano beat of “Hand Me Down Your Love,” there’s the wilty “Brothers” or “Keep Quiet” or the appropriately named “Slush,” songs that suggest the band knows they’re trying our patience. Even the slower songs that do work, like the slinky “Alley Cats,” lack the edge that Hot Chip doesn’t show often enough. B+
Hot Chip: Take It In (from RCRD LBL)
from the CD One Life StandMP3 • 
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1 comment:
Yes, I hope these guys do a more dance energy show at Coachella. The slow stuff will put everyone into a stupor when combined with the heat.
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