Hot Chip are really trying to mess with me here. They frontload Made in the Dark with two absolute bangers, "Out at the Pictures" and long familiar "Shake A Fist", in the vein of the indie dance banger nonpareil "Over and Over" from The Warning. These two tracks seemed to portend a Hot Chip that had turned down the lounge elements and cranked up the dance. Not to misstep, I've always appreciated the slower side of Hot Chip. Fundamentally, they are a slow-mo group with a handful of danceable tracks that translate well in the club and live, not unlike LCD Soundsystem. "Look After Me" from the previous album is a particularly great example. But their mostly-slow-plus-dance haymakers formula breaks down on the second half where they attempt to blend chillers that perhaps only James Murphy can pull off with house-like beats and repetitious vocal lines.
In addition to over-mixing disparate electronic influences, they make the mistake of over-distilling their grooves. Even the slower tracks from previous efforts had a delicious melding of rhythm and melody. On faster and slower song alike here, they over-simplify their percussion and pair it with busy sounds, losing much of their magic touch.
On the plus side, they've really expanded their treatment of vocals, doing really excellent call-and-response stuff plus fabulous multipart harmonies. I also personally prefer the focus on guitar riffs over odder keyboard sounds, which shows through prominently in their live shows supporting this album, where they've utilised a live guitar rather than a synth.
Essentially, the problem with this album is a minor one. Hot Chip have laid too bare their influences and composition. This disembowels their slower tracks and leaves the up tempo material feeling a bit primitive. I could see this not being a problem for some, especially with the recent popularity of French house gorillas Justice. The take home point here is that Hot Chip are an excellent group a bit timid about sharing their gifts.
6.5/10.0
-RJR
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