Album review - One Life Stand, Hot Chip

Now published over at Running In Heels.

Hot Chip's latest album recaptures what made them so exciting in 2006 and then some.

One Life Stand is the latest offering from the unlikely group of electro-pop geeks who have carved themselves a massive reputation and fan base since the release of their hit album ‘The Warning’ in 2006. This album will not disappoint fans; it has highs and lows but in tempo only not in quality. And overall this is an album made for the dance floor and a few hundred revelers.

It starts out with the sorts of noises that we have come to expect from Hot Chip who have steadily got better and better throughout their three smash albums.

However, the band appear to have transcended some of their previous work and branch out into new areas such as in 'I Feel Better' which has a Euro dancey vibe and 'Brothers' - a ballad to the brotherhood felt between bands touring together on the road.

'We Have Love' screams out as being the party smash on the album, the one that will probably be remixed again and again by the likes of Erol Alkan. It's very much the new 'Ready For The Floor’, which got partygoers stomping along to like mad in 2008. As will 'Take It In' - essentially a nod to house music but also managing to flit between grimy bass lines, 90's dance-influenced riffs and a puffy pop chorus.

The title track 'One Life Stand' seems to encapsulate best where Hot Chip are right now. The sound is unmistakably Hot Chip, as is obvious as soon as the synthy riffs start up along with Alexis Taylor's distinctive voice. But there are extra nuances thrown in. There appears to be a renewed keenness for experimenting with different beats, a bit of disco here as well as dreamy backing vocals supplied by Joe Goddard there. It's all thrown into the mix.

This album sounds great right now but some of the tracks will be best appreciated under the warm sun of summer time. Extra finesses on the album such as the use of steel pans will be extra pertinent to the summer festival crowd, to which Hot Chip are certainly going to appeal in 2010.

2 reasons to get excited:

1. Hot Chip's new album 'One Life Stand' comes out tomorrow. There have been previews of it all this week on The Guardian's music pages and on their myspace page. After a couple of listens this track 'I Feel Better' stands out to me. This album screams out for a dance floor and a few hundred revellers and I can't wait to be one of them.

2. Yeasayer bring out their second album 'Odd Blood' on Monday 8 February and it is sure to be amazing if this track 'One' from the album is anything to go by. It's like the perfect up beat party track, encapsulating everything that is great about the electro-world-beat psychedelic-pop (yes I did just mash all those terms together. You try describing it) sound that Yeasayer have been championing and can be heard all over the place from Animal Collective to Friendly Fires' latest offering 'Kiss of Life'. Its even got some 80's influences shoved in for good measure, I'm sure if you strain your ears hard enough you can hear a bit of Madonna 'Material Girl' in there somewhere. You can download this track for absolutely free on their website here.