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British electropop band Hot Chip takes listeners on an auditory adventure with all the personality of a schizophrenic on its fourth album, One Life Stand.
The Grammy-nominated band has hit the proverbial nail on its funky, sweet, manic head with this eclectic collection of pop, indie rock, folk and dance sounds blending into 10 songs as catchy as they are diverse.
The entire album is surprisingly mellow and sexy enough to be a bedroom soundtrack.
The exception is “We Have Love,” with jarring, high-energy beats that belongs in some neon-flashing, European discotheque. The song’s simplistic lyrics and overwhelming synthetic sound leave it out of place on this otherwise brilliantly organic album.
Lead singers Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor both lend distinctive vocals to the songs, but Goddard’s endearing falsetto touches listeners with its idiosyncratic sweetness and its latent emotion.
His talent is well displayed in the album’s first track, “Thieves in the Night,” with a sound that is fresh and intimate without feeling overdone.
The title track, “One Life Stand,” brings back the vibe reminiscent of the band’s 2008 song, “Ready for the Floor,” with the wit and latent British humor upon which Hot Chip has built a reputation.
As expressed in the lyrics of “Life,” Hot Chip’s message is clear: “I only want to be your one life stand/Tell me do you stand by your whole man?”