Are Hot Chip the worst band in the history of recorded music? Possibly. Somehow each release brings new levels of awfulness. This, their new album does nothing to buck that trend. Opening track 'Thieves in the Night' 'borrows' the melody of 'Fade to Grey' by Visage and matches it to synth pop so insipid it wouldn't make it onto a Erasure b sides collection. They try to go all synth motown on us on 'Hand me down your love' using the Stock, Aitken and Waterman production template but whereas at least Rick Astley had some kind of vocal styling you might remember, vocalist Alexis Taylor has all the charisma of an accounts clerk. Much like it seems to be socially acceptable to raid the prog rock templete (hi Midlake, hi Field Music) its now ok to use synth stabs, horrible vocodered vocals and tinny late 80's production. I'm a big fan of pop music - the new Marina and the Diamonds for example is superb. Hot Chip think they are making great pop music but all they are doing is pastiching chart music and bringing pale indie boy sensibilities to it which is what ruins it. On 'I Feel Better' and (the chorus at least of) 'One Life Stand' they prove they can write decent bouncy hits but the tinny production and characterless vocals make it sound like a demo awaiting a proper singer to come in and sort it out. I can safely say that i never ever want to hear this record again.
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Sound clips for One Life Stand by Hot Chip: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, EMI, £17.49.
1. Thieves In The Night 2. Hand Me Down Your Love 3. I Feel Better 4. One Life Stand 5. Brothers 6. Slush 7. Alley Cats 8. We Have Love 9. Keep Quiet 10. Take It In
