The gentlemen of Hot Chip tend to wear their influences on their sleeves, and their latest offering,One Life Stand, is no exception. Hot Chip's music is at once thrillingly forward-thinking and nostalgic - Frontman Alexis Taylor has stated in interviews that his heroes are late-'90s/early '00s R&B and Hip-Hop artists, primarily the mighty tri-force that was Aaliyah, Timbaland, and Missy Elliott:
On first listen, One Life Stand might not strike you as a product of this era, but consider that Timbaland's signature was(and is) creating layers, making peculiar choices with a variety of percussive elements. Listen to the hand drum in "Get Ur Freak On" or the snarling synth underneath the verse on "Try Again". His deft understanding of melody and hooks grab you at first, but with each subsequent listen, you are rewarded with little sonic easter eggs...well, Hot Chip's fourth studio album is full of those, too.
"Thieves in the Night" is a playful jam, with a melody like a vocalise, gliding up and down the scale, and a nice, slow build. The synth intro leads into a beat, which leads to the vocal, which leads into more keyboard twitches and percussion, till the whole thing goes full tilt - a gorgeous '80s synth-pop tune. "Hand Me Down Your Love" gets started with a Motown beat, adds piano and strings and a lovely lead vocal from Alexis Taylor, and walks away with your heart. "I Feel Better" puts you in an early '90s London club, awash with synths and a minimal beat - awesome. The title track has so many elements - easter eggs, surprises, misdirections - I can't even list them all here. Just listen to the track - loud, with headphones on - and try to distinguish all the things that Taylor and co. have going on. The boys slow things down with the tender tribute to male bonding, "Brothers", and the less successful "Slush" and "Alley Cats", before jumping back into the rave with "We Have Love". The heart keeps pumping into "Keep Quiet", which harnesses all that energy into a kind of suspenseful chill, a perfect segue into "Take It In", with which the album goes out on a high note: sick keyboard riffs, excellent vocal harmonies, positive vibes...Sigh...I love Hot Chip!
Listen Below.
More Info and Tour Dates for Hot Chip here.
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