Chip off the old block

I really don’t know what to make of Hot Chip. When I first heard “And I Was a boy from School” I thought I had found my new electronic music gods (if gods can be quirky geeks). With 2008’s “Made in the dark” I was sure the band had ‘come of age’ and that such a strong album would open doors. I even heard ‘Ready for the floor’ played on mainstream, daytime radio; heady days.

“One Life Stand” was good, but didn’t move them on either artistically or commercially; it sounded less cohesive and left me feeling a tad disappointed. Alexis Taylor’s solo album stunk higher than a kipper left out in the sun and anything labelled “Hot Chip Remix” is best approached with caution (but never as bad as a Caribou remix admittedly).

Thus I feared their latest offering “In Our Heads” could signal Hot Chip’s slide down the league of mediocrity into the relegation slots Simian Mobile Disco are intent on inhabiting. But the opening track “Motion Sickness” soon dispels the fear that the album is a complete loss. Alexis’s reassuring vocal floats over a kind of electronic soul track that is both eclectic and mesmerising (they even manage to throw in some 303 style acid riffs). The house tinged “How Do You Do?” sounds like it has been beamed in from 1988 via a Mylo remix. There is a smattering of duff tracks whose inclusion makes me wonder if their presence is simply to offer a blinding contrast to wonderful songs such as “Flutes” and the truly sublime “Let Me Be Him”. So a mixed bag, but ultimately one worth investing both time and money into.

It seems Hot Chip albums will never be consistent, but the highs far out weigh the lows. It will just take their record companies longer to generate that retrospective “Best of” compilation.

I came across a cache of old photos (well CD's actually)

The sheer volume of music I own means that sometimes I forget what I have. This might sound a bit strange, but it also means when you dig out a dusty CD box you can find a hidden treasure.

Whilst digging through The Beatles back catalogue, I unearthed a CD that I remember buying (for the confusing sum of £12.79) from an MVC store (remember them?) back in the 1990’s. Beck’s “Odelay” was purchased because I liked “Devils Haircut” I think, or maybe I was confused and thought “Loser” was on it; I don’t remember. However, I do remember not taking a liking to the album much and after playing it once or twice it went into storage for 16 years.

I decided to rip “Odelay” onto my hard drive and check it out; I’m glad I did. Maybe I have fallen behind massively (yes, I know I have) but this album sounds really fresh and contemporary to me. The majority of the tracks are interesting in their arrangements but there is also a greater depth to the song writing than the sampled loops and random noises might suggest. Tracks such as “Jackass” and “Hotwax” are surprisingly catchy and stand up to repeated listening. “The New Pollution” “Devils Haircut” were obvious stand out tracks / singles which are complimented by the more experimental sounds of “Where it’s at” and “Derelict”. Unfortunately Beck shifts into a poor pastiche of The Beastie Boys on occasions (“Novocaine” especially), but when you consider the album is produced by The Dust Brothers its no surprise. On the whole I’m really glad I unearthed this CD and recommend you revisit it should you own it.