Britain's electronic-pop stalwarts keep it simple and slinky for fifth album
7.5/10
Hot Chip have achieved much with their image, almost as much as their music, previously living up to their geek-lite appearance with chin-stroking sub-disco like that found on their first two albums, "Comin' On Strong" and the near-crossover success of "The Warning", which contained the anthem "Over and Over". From rattlingly silly songs about 'monkeys with a miniature cymbal' and a steady stream of fidgety beats and fractured synths, to this almost nonsensical, yet danceable, varietal of what has gone before, Hot Chip must have been through something of a transformation - or alternatively, they've just admitted to themselves that they needed to light up and aim for the feet, instead of the brain.
Repeated listens to the band's first outing on Domino reveals flaws and revelations in equal measure, suffice to say that "In Our Heads" fails to be yet another perfect Hot Chip album throughout but, when it's great it's great and when it's dire well, you know the rest. "Motion Sickness" is a solid opening-track and, you'd imagine, a perfect way to fire up a live show of theirs. To follow up that slowly-building beauty, the Chips are well and truly down with their '80s inner-being, letting loose with two stomping party-bangers in the shape of "How Do You Do?" and "Don't Deny Your Heart". Both wouldn't sound out of place on a New York dancefloor, circa 1984, coming straight out of the DJ booth marked 'Mark Kamins' or 'Shep Pettibone'.
Other upbeat highlights include the first single plucked from the album - "In Our Heads" is an obvious anthem and has a cheeky little monologue about 'gabba', 'Abba', 'jibba-jabba' and 'do I look like a rapper?', aimed at irritating bods asking a club-DJ for requests. They've retained their humour, a good thing for sure. "These Chains" and "Flutes" represent the more familiar repetitive end of Hot Chip's canon, both strong enough to be singles as well, with the latter proving to be a beguiling and moody epic.
Where the album keels over is obvious - it's the slower songs, the moments where Alex sounds like a schoolboy more than a man of conviction. "Look at Where We Are" and "Always Been Your Love" match up to their naff bland titles by being, well sorry guys, naff and bland. And cheesy. Lyrically, somewhere around X-Factor territory and as for "Now There Is Nothing", I'm reminded of Foreigner or Nik Kershaw - not a good look.
Thankfully, 3 stinkers out of 11 isn't a bad ratio, especially when faced with more superior club triumphs like "Ends of the Earth" and the minimalist "Let Me Be Him", replete with its stadium sing-a-long hook. With "In Our Heads", Hot Chip have surpassed the clunky "Made in the Dark" and "Comin' On Strong", almost matched "One Life Stand" for grooves but fallen short of emulating the less-commercial trademarks found on "The Warning". Worth buying? Oh certainly - you'll be whistling and wiggling along with most of this for months to come.
7.5/10
Hot Chip have achieved much with their image, almost as much as their music, previously living up to their geek-lite appearance with chin-stroking sub-disco like that found on their first two albums, "Comin' On Strong" and the near-crossover success of "The Warning", which contained the anthem "Over and Over". From rattlingly silly songs about 'monkeys with a miniature cymbal' and a steady stream of fidgety beats and fractured synths, to this almost nonsensical, yet danceable, varietal of what has gone before, Hot Chip must have been through something of a transformation - or alternatively, they've just admitted to themselves that they needed to light up and aim for the feet, instead of the brain.
Repeated listens to the band's first outing on Domino reveals flaws and revelations in equal measure, suffice to say that "In Our Heads" fails to be yet another perfect Hot Chip album throughout but, when it's great it's great and when it's dire well, you know the rest. "Motion Sickness" is a solid opening-track and, you'd imagine, a perfect way to fire up a live show of theirs. To follow up that slowly-building beauty, the Chips are well and truly down with their '80s inner-being, letting loose with two stomping party-bangers in the shape of "How Do You Do?" and "Don't Deny Your Heart". Both wouldn't sound out of place on a New York dancefloor, circa 1984, coming straight out of the DJ booth marked 'Mark Kamins' or 'Shep Pettibone'.
Other upbeat highlights include the first single plucked from the album - "In Our Heads" is an obvious anthem and has a cheeky little monologue about 'gabba', 'Abba', 'jibba-jabba' and 'do I look like a rapper?', aimed at irritating bods asking a club-DJ for requests. They've retained their humour, a good thing for sure. "These Chains" and "Flutes" represent the more familiar repetitive end of Hot Chip's canon, both strong enough to be singles as well, with the latter proving to be a beguiling and moody epic.
Where the album keels over is obvious - it's the slower songs, the moments where Alex sounds like a schoolboy more than a man of conviction. "Look at Where We Are" and "Always Been Your Love" match up to their naff bland titles by being, well sorry guys, naff and bland. And cheesy. Lyrically, somewhere around X-Factor territory and as for "Now There Is Nothing", I'm reminded of Foreigner or Nik Kershaw - not a good look.
Thankfully, 3 stinkers out of 11 isn't a bad ratio, especially when faced with more superior club triumphs like "Ends of the Earth" and the minimalist "Let Me Be Him", replete with its stadium sing-a-long hook. With "In Our Heads", Hot Chip have surpassed the clunky "Made in the Dark" and "Comin' On Strong", almost matched "One Life Stand" for grooves but fallen short of emulating the less-commercial trademarks found on "The Warning". Worth buying? Oh certainly - you'll be whistling and wiggling along with most of this for months to come.
For information on Hot Chip tours and shows, visit Allgigs here