Made In The Dark

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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 5099951791728 Label: EMI Records Manufacturer: EMI Records Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: EMI Records Release Date: 2008-02-04 Studio: EMI Records
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Editorial Reviews: Hot Chip have always been the sort of band happy to flaunt their intelligence, but the smartest trick they pull on Made in the Dark is to show a little wisdom, too. 2006’s The Warning was a fine record, albeit one sometimes difficult to take seriously thanks to its taste for pop pastiche--here’s the Prince track, there’s a 2-step garage track--or the occasional ironic wisecrack. On their third album, though, it’s satisfying to report Hot Chip sound like no one but themselves. That is, shuffling, synthesiser-smeared electro-pop with a gooey emotional core and, in the shape of Alexis Taylor, one of the greatest white-boy soul voices since that of his hero, Green Gartside of Scritti Politti. "Ready for the Floor" sounds halfway between Detroit techno and the soundtrack to a Nintendo RPG, Taylor’s clear, honest vocal reaching out hopefully: "I’m hoping by chance/You might take this dance", while the album’s title track is a slow piano ballad that finds him laid blue over the ruins of a love affair. There is mischief, too of course: take "Wrestlers", a dinky R&B track where the group show off their knowledge of wrestling slang. Even when they’re ready to rumble, though, Hot Chip show off the sort of emotion and elation we’ve rarely seen since the glory days of New Order, and that’s high praise indeed. –-Louis Pattison
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: The Hottie and the Nottie Comment: 'The Warning' was, if not quite a stunner, a bit of a hottie. This quite simply is not. Why include three soul ballads if none of them is a patch on 'Look After Me' from the last release? These deathly dull tracks in particular bring the album crashing down. Other songs come across as in jokes and failed experiments - I'm looking at you 'Wrestlers' and 'Bendable Posable'. The first three songs do show signs of life, 'Ready for the Floor' is a great single (partly due to the fantastic video) and there are other flashes of near brilliance in the intro to 'One Pure Thought' and the genuinely amusing spoken word section of 'Bendable Posable' - but at this stage of the game more is expected. Make no mistake this is a huge disappointment. Customer Rating: Summary: Brilliant Comment: Get this album! if you haven't heard of hot chip, or you're looking to buy your first hot chip album, this one is the one to get. I have it for about 2 weeks and it hasn't left my car since, I've to it everyday and I'm still not bored of it. Customer Rating: Summary: Immensely Creative and Wonderfully Unpredictable (It doesn't get better) Comment: This is my first Hot Chip album, and am well and truly shell-shocked by the originality of this group. It's so refreshing to hear an album that is creatively pure, you can almost visualise the band in the studio enjoying themselves as they went through the process of refining this sweet gem of a cd. It doesn't feel forced or restrained in anyway, it just goes with it. I'll even go as far as to say this is as originial as Jeff Mills' 'At First Sight' or 'Metropolis', which I hold up as two of the best ever. But while those albums explore the outter reaches of the techno universe, 'Made in the Dark' creates a new universe rich with smooth blends of tech, funk, disco, and pop. You can even hear elements of hip hop! This is as unique as you'll find these days, I'm so pleased that there are guys out there thinking outside of the box, and being truly artistic!! Best tracks on the album: 'One Pure Thought' and the stonkin', funked up 'Don't Dance'. I'm on my way to get a copy of 'The Warning', enjoy! Customer Rating: Summary: My first taste of Hot Chip Comment: This album has taken me by surprise. I didn't buy it for me but for the other half. Truth is though, many tracks have caught my ear and I've been playing it sneakily by myself too when no-one else is around, but don't tell her will you?! You see, I wasn't really expecting an album displaying such a diverse range of electronic influence. Being a fan of Jarre and Kraftwerk, there is more than a nod and a wink to these classic artists here, as well as more contemporary influences such as Groove Armada and even The Streets. All in all a great album. 4 stars! Customer Rating: Summary: Not a worthy follow up Comment: To be quite honest, I don't really like this album that much. Its a pity, since the first album was really very good, and the second was really rather good too, but this time around it seems rather... boring. For one, it lacks a lot of the delicacy and finesse of the first album with a lot of the tracks feeling much more 'in your face' and faster paced. If you like the motion and delicate core of the other two albums, the first one especially, then you may be disappointed with this. Get 'Give Up', by the 'Postal Service' instead. A lot of my disappointment may also be with the recording quality, which is far more dynamically compressed than the first album. Still, its not actually bad, its a good album, it just doesn't live up to Hot Chips previously high standard. More Reviews