ARTIST:
HOT CHIP


ALBUM:
ONE LIFE STAND


KEY TRACKS:
ALLEY CATS
HAND ME DOWN YOUR LOVE
ONE LIFE STAND


"how did we get ourselves so lost?"  


Is disco dead?  According to Hot Chip it's alive and well...and in London?  The Brits behind all the "discoteca" have produced a steady stream of albums since 2000 and haven't calmed down yet.    

One Life Stand, whose ridiculous title the bandmates openly admit is lame, is their fourth studio effort.  And although making a record is nothing new to Hot Chip, the creation of this release took them down a very different and somewhat challenging route.  This release took both a tremendous amount of time and effort for the artists, producing a record that is as cohesive as it is textured.  Having listened to Hot Chip since their debut, it's easy to admit that a few of their singles have been a bit one dimensional.  Then again, it is dance music so there really isn't a good deal of room for movement in the structures behind all of the heavy beats.


Throughout the years, Hot Chip has produced some catchy singles like Boy From School and, a personal favorite, Ready for the Floor.  And as much as I like these tracks, they don't really inspire movement from me the way America's dub step does.  Where dub step is aggressive and sometimes abrasive, Hot Chip's is distinctively lighter and playful.  Maybe it's just the kind of person I am, but if I'm going to a club I don't feel like skipping around and holding hands.  


So what is Hot Chip's genre then?  Euro techno?  Dance music you can't dance to?  Electronic/ambient?  It's difficult to say...however, although lacking for me as the listener, Hot Chip do manage to polish out some diamonds on the album.  Alley Cats is a delightful romp of a track that is a glorious standout track for the album.  Lead vocalist Alexis Taylor (he's a guy, don't worry I wondered the same thing), finally displays some dimensionality on the track.  Delightfully subtle, but still spritely (a style that you could use to describe Hot Chip altogether) this track is a refreshing standout for the album as a whole.


Hand Me Down Your Love is another fine example of dimensionality on the album.  This track is more heavily textured with looped vocals and a lovely backing string quartet towards the end.  Again, still keeping the music light, but just enough to quench the listener.   


One Life Stand is probably the most musically aggressive for the group.  And despite the heavy pulsing beat, there is still enough room to include some interesting distortions and even a steel drum!  But Taylor's vocals are quite flat, almost dull, and don't add much to the overall feeling of the track.  It kind of feels more like a drag.  


I guess for me what's lacking is some sort of emotion behind Taylor's voice  Instead of a dynamic range, there is just one steady note for vocals here.  Which would be understandable if there was an overwhelming musical score backing him...but there's not.  So what results is an album that really feels like a really long mixtape.  There's really no distinctive feature for each track and although this does enhance cohesiveness, it certainly is bland on my palate.  Here's to the next one, Hot Chip!  Till then, I'll still be listening!

LISTEN:  ALLEY CATS  |  HAND ME DOWN YOUR LOVE  |  ONE LIFE STAND

NEXT WEEK:  TEARS FOR FEARS  |  TEARS ROLL DOWN