Britain’s Hot Chip mixes indie pop, dance club hits, electronic beats and just a touch of soul to create their third full-length album, Made in the Dark. The quintet recorded the electronic indie pop album in various locations (including studios, live on stage, and in singer/percussionist Joe Goddard’s bedroom) to see what else they could bring to their sound and they ended up with 13 very different tracks that are sure to intrigue.
On the title track, the London boys put the dance floor on the back burner and created a beautiful ballad, with a touch of their signature irreverence in lines like “Since I stole this song, we have made a new start”. Ballads with touches of fun are blended nicely with the more energetic and dancier tracks like “Out at the Pictures”, but not all of the ballads have a witty undertone. “Privacy of Our Love” is a straightforward ballad full of touching lines like “In the privacy of our love, there is nothing outside our love” beautifully sung by Alexis Taylor over a stripped-down lullaby of a track.
But there are also plenty of tracks you could easily hear at the club. “Shake a Fist”, the first single off the album, is sure to make you get up and dance. “Ready for the Floor” and “Hold On” will quickly get stuck in your head and have you singing “I’m only going to Heaven if it tastes like caramel” (while trying to perfect your British accent) all night long. “Wrestlers”, a fun track inspired by a text message from LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, is full of playfully masterminded lyrics about Willie Nelson and wrestling moves and you can’t help but smile when you hear it.
release date: Tuesday, February 5, 2008
