Home > Chicago Music > CD Review > Hot Chip, 'Made in the Dark'

Backstory: Like their forefathers Depeche Mode, Hot Chip is a British band combining traditional pop song structures with modern technology and underground dance beats. Over their first two albums, they’ve honed their sound into near-perfect electro-pop dance tunes like “Over and Over” while gaining an international following that’s long transcended cult status. With their third full-length release, they’re on the verge of stepping into Depeche Mode’s sizable Doc Martens as the world’s next bona fide electronic rock superstars.

Why you should care: Having survived the dreaded sophomore slump, the band is eager to take all sorts of musical chances, along with toughing up their dance beats. “Shake a Fist” is a menacing, analog groove that comes to a screeching halt to introduce a cheeky sound effects rhythm war before subtly returning to the original tune. “Ready for the Floor” is classic Hot Chip, a chirpy, high-pitched skip-pop track unafraid to show off the group’s Erasure and OMD cassette collection. It doesn’t all work; “Bendable Possable” collapses under the weight of its own complex beat density.

Verdict: While some fans might scratch their heads at the Billy Joel-isms of the melancholy title track and the Supertramp-meets-R. Kelly balladry of “Wrestlers,” the dazzling sonic dexterity on display throughout “Made in the Dark” is impressive. Whether they’re juxtaposing big guitar riffs with a bouncy island beat (“One Pure Thought”) or crafting dreamy, minimalist love songs (“In the Privacy of Our Love”), Hot Chip’s aggressive experimentalism is one of their biggest strengths. Yes, “Made in the Dark” could be termed difficult. But in the grand scheme of a discography, its stock will surely rise. Here’s to future days.

X-Factor: That snarky voice that interrupts “Shake a Fist”? It’s Todd Rundgren, he of “Hello It’s Me,” “Bang the Drum All Day” and other retro-pop staples. The sample comes from a skit on Rundgren’s classic 1972 album, “Something/Anything?”

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