It is these five words that appear in 'Night and Day' - this infectious, driving track in the middle of Hot Chip's fifth album - that summarize what “In Our Heads” is. Somewhere between a shimmering beat and an unrelenting (and addictive) bassline, a distorted voice intones: "I like Zapp not Zappa".
Although the words written by Alexis Taylor were originally a reaction to misunderstandings during one of his DJ gigs - as a statement of the album's intention, they speak volumes. They seem to say that while this album is playful, it is free from trivial nonsense and unnecessary ostentation. It is a cheerful record - aiming for the heart and the dance floor.
This formulates an ideology that is audibly seeping through the tracks of “In Our Heads”. You can hear it already in the opener - 'Motion Sickness' - which seems to allow the listener to escape a step every four bars. You can also feel this attitude in 'How Do You Do'. The song is a love letter to life itself and is based on a backing track that sounds as if a Chicago house record has been coated with a layer of titanium. And this attitude can also be found in 'Flutes' - a driving song that is interspersed with rhythmically fragmented choirs, while the rhythm track crackles like a high-voltage line in bad weather. Through the sheer, sustaining melancholy of the magnificent 'Look At Where We Are', the Hot Chip ideology runs as clearly as it finds a platform in the completely ecstatic chorus of 'Let Me Be Him'. Finally, it unfolds in the Abbey Road-esque ballad 'Now There Is Nothing' and forms the basis of “In Our Heads”. It ensures that electronic and classical live instruments merge into a perfect amalgam, in which Alexis' wonderfully soulful vocals are embedded.
“In Our Heads” is a fascinating album by a band that has discovered new ways to work creatively, released by a label made up of fans and friends. Gigs around the world are booked - from festival slots in Europe to the already announced gig in September as headliner at the Hollywood Bowl!
Album Tracklisting:
01. Motion Sickness
02. How Do You Do
03. Don't Deny Your Heart
04. Look At Where We Are
05. These Chains
06. Night And Day
07. Flutes
08. Now There Is Nothing
09. Ends Of The Earth
10. Let Me Be Him
11. Always Been Your Love
Hot Chip live:
FRI 10 AUG – HAMBURG, GERMANY - DOCKVILLE
SAT 11 AUG – SAALBURG, GERMANY - SONNEMONDSTERNE
Web:
