Hot Chip-Why Make Sense? (7.3/10)
Hot Chip has made a name for themselves over the years for their quirky, indie-electro dance tunes that usually featured a twinge of experimental. I often hear them grouped with groups such as LCD Soundsystem and Cut Copy, which is very high praise. Still, I don't see them as a giant success. I have undeniably enjoyed many tunes of theirs in the past, but most of their albums just are not complete enough for me. This new one fixes this issue, but also creates a new issue. I feel like while this album is very catchy all the way through, it also lacks the creative energy of the first few records. Sure I can sing these to myself and I can give more proper full listens, but to me the songs just do not feel as unique as they used to. Pop tunes such as Doctors and How Do You Do just seemed to stick out a little bit more. These two tunes really stuck out to me just because they sound a little bit more unconventional. Doctors is a melody led by steel drums, and electronic glitch beats are thrown into the mix and the ending result is pretty awesome. How Do You Do is pretty awesome just because it is fun, but it also features a lot of fun accessory percussion (maybe I just love percussion timbres). These tunes felt very unique to the band, but the new album just kind of feels bland in comparison. Don't get me wrong, the new album is far from bad, but to me, Hot Chip still has not really struck a perfect medium of poppy songwriting and complex, interesting instrumentation. Based on this album I can at least say they are improving in some regards, so my hopes are not completely broken.
This album opens with the super catchy Huarache Lights which actually to me is not a great start. I think the lyrics and some of the progressions are really nice, but I simply think a lot of this track just seems borrowed. It feels very Daft Punk inspired and to me I just do not hear a lot of innovation. Still though, I have to say there are positives about the track. The way the track kind of just gradually builds is really nice and while the synths are very repetitive, they are also pretty cool and powerful. Overall it's a good track that could have been a lot better. Love Is The Future is a great track which just feels pretty comfortable in its own skin. The track doesn't feel forced, and it kind of reminds me of something off the latest Passion Pit record, just more focused. The emotional sounding synth lines mixed with the jumpy drum groove feels right at home for this band. This track, however, does feature a rap verse that just feels so awkward and unnecessary. Without this verse the track would be better. Crying For You has some absolutely great keyboard and bass work, but the vocals just don't even nearly sound good till the chorus. While this song may have a lot of choruses and a nice outro of synthy poppy goodness, its verses ultimately just make me lose interest in the tune. Started Right is a funky song that just feels right. The track features back up string, guitar, and keyboard parts that just layer on top of each other well. While this track is a little overly generic, I will admit it works this time. White Wine and Fried Chicken is my favorite tune on here just simply because it doesn't sound like Hot Chip. It sounds more like a conventional indie band, but at the same time Hot Chip generally stays out of this territory. It was kind of nice to see them play into this non-electronic kind of realm. The tune is pretty simple actually, but the charm kind of just passes it by and wins you over. Dark Night is too long for its lack of ideas, and it honestly sounds like a ton of other bands, so yea that one doesn't hook me. Easy To Get is a great tune that feels pretty Caribou influenced. The synth arpeggiation kind of just reminds me something Dan Snaith would do, and overall this track just has the laid back, yet badass feel of a Caribou track. Killer track. Also the way this track fades out into more dissonant textures is pretty awesome for sure. Need You Now is pretty good, but a little too repetitive. Admittedly I don't get really into it until the last minute when the vocals kind of just fade in and out of the track. Still, those layered vocals on top of some patchy, yet great drum work really drew me into that track. So Much Further To Go is an absolute dud for me. It's not bad, but this track loses all direction immediately, and while I do enjoy the more relaxed vibe of that song, it just has nothing to draw you in. Everything on it just feels so plain. In contrast, Why Make Sense is an immense closer. The synth and drums build on top of each other, and the whole thing just feels really important to the band. This track feels complete in every way from it's arrhythmic synths to its story it tells in the lyrics. This track just feels exciting, and it is everything I do enjoy about this band. It is a very musical track that just still feels very poppy and energetic. So is Why Make Sense? a failure of an album? Hell no. This album spawned a lot of interesting moments and great things, but is it progression? No. This band can still create musical builds and great moments, but the creativity overall on this thing seems a little restricted, and I have to say that Hot Chip could really be dangerous if they could ever walk the tight rope of popularity and creativity well. I'm pretty amped to hear more from this band, and I have to say that I am betting on them for the future.
Overall this album is very good, but I do not necessarily think it is better than their old material. It has great catchy tracks, but every once in a while it just seems like they lazily sewed a track together. This can be frustrating from a band with such good potential, and I feel like until they really force me to listen to them, I cannot reward them. This album is good, but ultimately it is not their best, and I still am not a huge Hot Chip fan.
Best Song: Love Is The Future, Started Right, White Wine and Fried Chicken, Easy To Get, Why Make Sense, Need You Now
Worst Songs: Huarache Lights, Crying For You, So Much Further To Go
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