Staff Reviews

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Review by Hayden Woolley

Heart/sleeve interface may be at record highs on this album, but only a cast-iron cynic would turn their noses up when the treats on offer are so lovingly prepared.»

User reviews

• 6/10 by cnpubwear
• 9/10 by
• 8/10 by WJFOrchard
• 6/10 by hide
• 6/10 by Nerdlinger
• 7/10 by samjp

Buy now from:

'one life stand' is a full-blooded leap into the unknown, an album that is awash with hot chip's trademark creative bravery and a searing emotional intensity from first track to last. indeed, 'one life stand' is by far and away hot chip's most complete body of work to date, an album that is more cohesive and more soulful than 2007's ambidextrous 'made in the dark' and more ambitious than 2005's mercury nominated and grammy award nominated 'the warning', 'one life stand' is an album that establishes hot chip as one of the most relevant and creative bands of our era. with joe goddard, alexis taylor, felix martin, al doyle and owen clarke at the helm it is no surprise that they borrow, create and take inspiration from a plethora of influences. 'one life stand' sees a proliferation of influences as diverse as the burgeoning uk funky scene to soul music, modern r&b, northern soul, gospel, golden age electronica, detroit house, southern soul, the sounds of arthur russell, prince and theo parish, and they all sit effortlessly alongside the band's signature pop aesthetics, wild electronics, off kilter beats and intoxicating musical experimentation in a way that only hot chip can execute. the songs for 'one life stand' were largely written around the piano, the wurlitzer, or the prophet keyboard, and demoed at alexis' and joe's respective home studios. they were then taken to lanark studio which al and felix own and run, to be fully produced and fleshed out with the three remaining band members. in addition, recording contributions from legendary innovators of their respective fields charles hayward (this heat), and fimber bravo (steel n' skin), as well as newer musicians leo taylor (the invisible), and string arrangers and experimental composers emma smith and vince sipprell (geese), were added to elevate the record further. the finished record is hot chip's most up-front, coherent and melodically bold record to date; an uncluttered, warm and soulful, uplifting and heart-on-sleeve collection. featuring the archetypal hot chip song, title track and first single, 'one life stand', built on a metronomic but pulsing groove, and reaching up to a joyously simple/naive chorus of monogamous embracement, the album is from start to finish one of love - euphoric, nostalgic, brotherly, realistic even. it is mainly a sequence of club classic stompers - from the anthemic 'hand me down your love' to the life-affirming absurdist black humour of 'i feel better' - tempered with the contemplative, tender realism of 'slush', and the romantic melancholy of 'alley cats'. take it in, if you will; it's all for you.
description from www.roughtrade.com