For being a semi-popular electro-pop band, Hot Chip lacks the desire to groove on their latest album Made in the Dark. There is no doubt that their album?s two big hits, ?Shake a Fist? and ?Ready for the Floor,? have the essential, upbeat sound necessary to get any techno star on the dance floor, but as for the rest of their songs, there is not much left to be said.
The band had been doing well with their previous two albums ? their second, Warning, reaching Mixmag?s No. 6 spot in 2006 ? and its new album appeared promising with the release of ?Ready for the Floor? this past January. Although, after listening to the record, it is obvious the band is stuck between two conflicting genres: slow hip-hop and full-fledged techno. To be honest, this album could easily be mistaken for a mixed CD.
For those who enjoy a bluesy slow jam interspersed between a collection of alternative dance music, songs ?We?re Looking for a lot of Love,? ?Made in the Dark? and ?Wrestlers? would suit your fancy. These melodic tunes show off the band?s ability to write song lyrics and not just play around on their synthesizers. Although the themes of these songs may not be the most complex, they are a great improvement from the lyrics in ?Hold On,? specifically the line ?I?m only going to heaven/ If it tastes like caramel.?
Considering the band released two techno-pop songs to represent their new album before its big release, Made in the Dark fails to include more songs along these same lines. When listening to ?Out in the Pictures? and ?One Pure Thought,? it is unclear whether listeners are supposed to be dancing like the hippies at Summerfest or breaking out their glow sticks at the club.
As the album continues, the desire to shut off the CD player increases. The last two tracks, ?Whistle for Will? and ?In the Privacy of our Love,? could have been combined into one song to not only spare the time of the listeners but also to create room for a more danceable song. Additionally, the title of the song ?Don?t Dance? speaks for itself. Not only does this song discourage dancing, it does not want you to decipher its well-hidden beat.
While the record is not what was expected given its new releases, the jams on the synthesizer and keyboard really are what make Hot Chip?s Made in the Dark a unique album. The first three tracks emphasize this characteristic well. As for song variety, the album could have been summed up in three tracks: ?Shake a Fist,? ?Wrestlers? and ?In the Privacy of our Love,? giving listeners the record?s vast array of sounds in a quarter of the time.
2 stars out of 5
