We'll be frank with you: after listening to Made In The Dark a number of times, we never really felt like Hot Chip was "our thing". It's not that they're even remotely bad, or that there's anything wrong with their tunage, it just had a vibe that was a little too synth-cutesy for our tastes. Well, lately, that's starting to change.
First, we heard their Vampire Weekend cover with Peter Gabriel, and now they've released an EP collaborating with Robert Wyatt and Geese. The disc dropped yesterday, and is an "indie record shop exclusive", whatever that means. Regardless, even if it takes a little extra effort, we really recommend that you pick it up.
The untitled EP reworks four of the band's album tracks, and in our opinion does them quite a bit of justice. Gone are the persistent synths and canned beats, replaced by more abstract, atmospheric instrumentation and percussion. Strings, jaw's harp, and Robert Wyatt's deep, resonant vocals all serve to give the tracks a completely new dimension. What's more, Geese's remixing duties turn "One Pure Thought" from a rock song into an exercise in percussive drones.
We'll say it again: we certainly are not in love with Hot Chip's Made In The Dark. But, if this is the direction they're headed, we have to say we're firmly on board. These tracks not only stand up for themselves, but show a band that isn't satisfied to rest on their laurels and milk a single sound. Well played, boys.
mp3: Hot Chip Feat. Robert Wyatt - Made In The Dark
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The New Hot Chip EP Is Very Good
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2 comments:
You're not in love with their first album, but how about their second and third albums?
Frankly, the only record we'd gotten wind of was Made In The Dark. Ignorance duly noted.
We clearly have some back catalogue to explore.
XOXO
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