CD Review: Hot Chip- Made in the Dark

EMI 5/5 The electro-indie band Hot Chip are back almost two years after their second album The Warning. Listening to this new endeavour Made in the Dark, it’s safe to say that it has been worth the wait. The intervening time has largely been spent touring and developing new material for the album which feels, in many cases, much more upbeat and rocky than their previous outings. Fans of their older work (and there are many out there) will not be disappointed however, as the laid back and melodic feeling of the first two albums has been retained in many tracks including ‘In the Privacy of Our Love’ and the haunting title track ‘Made in the Dark’. On the latter, Taylor’s vocals bring to mind the subtlety and classical sound of Danny Gillespie. These tracks feature subdued percussion and few instrumental lines, but make up for it with beautiful simplicity. Occupying the album’s atmospheric mid-ground are the undeniably funky ‘Wrestlers’ and ‘One Pure Thought’, which plays host to a cataclysmic collision between electronica, indie-guitar and Caribbean melodies. Of most interest, however, are the edgier tracks where Hot Chip are obviously experimenting with new sounds, to notable success. ‘Bendable Poseable’ combines synth with more traditional guitar sections and a feeling of excitement as the tightly regimented early song gives way to its discordant and anarchic climax. ‘Touch Too Much’ is, by virtue of minimal electronic distortion, as close as the band come to the mainstream but even this retains a feel that is very much Hot Chip. What is constant throughout Made in the Dark is the uncanny ability to blend frequently harsh individual layers together to form a smooth overall sound. Pulsing beats and repetitive rhythms meld beautifully with understated vocal talent to produce a hypnotic sound that induces a trance-like feeling of content. With the black cloud of fifth week looming, who could ask for more? by Chris Cooling