HOT CHIP

'COMING ON STRONG'

MOSHI MOSHI
LP/CD

(MAY 2004)

Lowest form of wit or highest form of intelligence? You decide...

Some people find Hot Chip too much. With The Darkness, Pitman and now Goldie Lookin’ Chain inescapably inscribed on the musical landscape, the ‘R’N’Bedroom electro’ of eyebrow-raising single ‘Down With Prince’ was, perhaps, a sarcastic, irony-laden step too far.

Not that these west London boys give a shit. Here they portray themselves as cartoon gangstas (‘Playboy’), throw in some super-ridiculous lyrics (“I’m like Stevie Wonder but I can see things”) and concoct an image of bespectacled lead singer Alexis Taylor as the proverbial bedsit geek gyrating in front of the mirror.

All of which would be meaningless were it not for the fact that this debut is built around a backdrop of impeccably arranged, laptop-crafted pop perfection.

Not unlike The Streets (or perhaps a lo-fi Neptunes), what makes this record special is its shambling, rough and ready sense of humour. They may take the piss, but hey, Hot Chip still undoubtedly mean it.