Music Review: Hot Chip's "One Life Stand"

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

Hot Chip’s fourth studio album, "One Life Stand," comes two years after their last release and it is sure to make their fans happy. The group continues with their electro pop sound with a whole new batch of songs that will make people want to dance.

Each song flows into one another so that it is a continuous sound versus jarringly broken up pieces. That’s not to say that the album has a static sound; there is a nice fluidity to it and listeners can hear the subtle transitions. Every song is different but there are common themes throughout, which makes it an album that can be listened to in pieces or as a whole.

It is hard to pick out favorites because the album blends together so well. There are stronger spots than others, but overall, this is a great effort by Hot Chip. The technology-heavy sound will not disappoint established fans, but those who aren’t really into this electronica style of music will not be alienated--Hot Chip’s sound can easily be enjoyed by all.

One of the best songs is the first track, “Thieves in the Night,” is a full-bodied opening song that gives listeners a taste of what the whole album will be like. There is no warming the listeners up--Hot Chip just jumps right into the songs with full force. They also end the album strong with “Take It In.” The two songs bookend what is a pretty good set of music. Others just make listeners want to dance in their seats while listening to it.  This is particularly true for “I feel Better.”

The one weak spot of "One Life Stand" is the song “Slush.” It is kind of dull; they should stick to their more electronica sound and stay away from anything reminiscent of a ballad.  Although the steel drums are a definite plus, the song goes on for way too long. “We Have Love” starts out weakly, but quickly becomes a nice little groove that would fit on both college radio and in dance clubs. Hot Chip also gets props for “Alley Cat” and its somewhat nonsensical opening lyrics.

Hot Chip is one of those bands that people either know and love or disregard because their sound is not like traditional pop music. Yet their upbeat music and electro pop feel makes them one of those bands that people will be pleasantly surprised to hear. "One Life Stand" is a strong album by a group that can only go up from where they stand now.