One record at a time: 174. Hot Chip - Freakout/Release

Last year I decided I needed to be more selective about the vinyl I purchased. This decision was partially driven by finances but also by the practical consideration of where to put all of this stuff. Therefore when Hot Chip announced their new album I decided not to pre-order it. 

Therefore, when this copy of the album arrived in the mail (complete with signed art print) soon after release, it came as something of a surprise. Someone really should take my phone off me when I have been drinking.

"Down" is based around a long sample of "More Than Enough" by Universal Togetherness Band. This track features acoustic drums and employs the over saturated vocal sound that Depeche Mode seem to love nowadays. You can tell I'm not a fan. 

"Eleanor" starts very brightly but the acoustic drums sound saggy and drag the whole thing down. "Freakout/Release" is produced by Soulwax and inevitably sounds like it could have been culled from their "Nite Versions" album. 

On the flip side "Broken" is one of the better tracks on the album as it has a lush sound and strong, almost pop, melody. "Not Alone" is a slower and more contemplative effort but it becomes a bit boring. Lyrically  "It's Hard to be Funky" is just stupid but more accomplished from a production perspective.

The second disc kicks off with "Time" which develops into a great dance number that might have befitted from coming at the start of the album. "Miss This Bliss" simply takes too long to get going and when it does gather some momentum neither the groove nor the melody are strong enough to impress. Disappointingly "The Evil That Men Do" sees the return of saturated vocals and seems to borrow the piano riff from Moby's "Honey". 

On the final side of the album "Guilty" has a strong electronic sound and enough eighties touches to be seriously impressive. In fact this is my favourite song on the album. "Out of my Depth" is yet another attempt to produce a flourish at the end of the album. This track reminds me of the sound of early Kraftwerk; all it needs is some flute to complete the sound. A fair effort but not one of their best. 2.5/5 

One record at a time: 173. Hot Chip - A Bathfull of Ecstasy

There are a few Hot Chip albums I only own on CD so we find "A Bathfull of Ecstasy" from 2019 next on the shelf. This is the standard European double album in a gatefold sleeve.

I've not listened to this album much in the last three years as I think the terrible cover and strange title might be deflecting me. The first track "Melody of Love" has a lush production that I don't normally associate with Hot Chip. Closer examination of the credits reveals this album uses external producers which may explain its added sparkle.

The seconds track "Spell" sticks more closely to the band's normal recipe and sounds strong and melodic - even if the Vocoder is a little over used. The title track is a mid-tempo R&B influenced groove that uses auto-tune on the vocals but misses the mark for me. 

When I first heard "Echo" I thought it was about to break into "The Circus" by Erasure, but as the track develops it actually becomes a nice groove with some great drum programming. I own a number of remixes of the next rack "Hungry Child" that develop it into a more immediate dance track, but the original version here is much more satisfying. This track builds the atmosphere beautifully before the beats come in and lift it to another level. Like a lot of the tracks I've heard so far there is a great groove here but I'm not sure the melodies are as strong as on previous albums.

The best song on the album may also be the best song Hot Chip have ever recorded. There's something about "Positive" that appeals to me on every level; the lyrics are the irreverent and yet touching, the drum programming is just perfect and the atmosphere created by the synth textures is sublime. 

Things slow down a little for "Why Does My Mind" and the bossa nova beats of "Clear Blue Skies" but neither are very impressive. The final track "No God" is a clear attempt to generate an epic finish but it is only partially successful. I should listen to Hot Chip more. I think I regard them as being a bit 'hit and miss', but listening to albums like this I realise they are more consistent than I recall. 3/5

One record at a time: 172. Hot Chip - One Life Stand

The release of this record coincided with both my growing appreciation for Hot Chip and a resurgent interest in vinyl. This double 200g pressing is numbered and comes with a 7" single that features a couple of bonus tracks.

This version was exclusive The Vinyl Factory who used to release a steady stream of limited edition pressings that were very finely crafted and clearly designed to appeal to collectors.

Today vinyl is no longer a niche product so most labels seem content to get GZ Media to knock out some cheap copies and count the cash. Heavyweight, numbered items like this have disappeared. They certainly don't appear on The Vinyl Factory store any more anyway. Now all their shop seems to list is sold out items, 12" singles for an eye watering £20 or obscure stuff you've heard of (and unlikely to even want to hear).

As you might expect of an album that was cut at Abbey Road and pressed on the EMI 1400 it sounds good. In fact, the first disc is an almost perfect collection of songs that must rank amongst the band's best. Unfortunately the second disc has a couple of more disappointing tracks in the form of the overly long and rather boring "Slush" and the disjointed "Alley Cats".

However "We Have Love" and the uplifting chorus of "Take It In" are quite brilliant and come close to matching the quality of the material on the first record. Neither Hot Chip nor The Vinyl Factory make records like this any more and that makes me sad. 4/5

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.