In Our Heads

Oh man Hot Chip! I haven't thought about you in years. Fun!

It’s enjoyable but it never grabbed me beyond me going hey I like this.

Enjoyed it a lot.

light electro pop, indebted to OMD and to New Order, both of whom did this far better, and long ago. a pointless, insipid re-tread of what some pioneers achieved.

King of a throwback to 80's pop/dance music. Decent album but nothing stands out.

I’d only listened to The Warning by Hot Chip before this, and maybe like that album better, despite this one maybe having a fuller sound. Waffled between high 3, low 4 but decided to round up because I do enjoy this overall and The Warning probably isn’t one this list.

I would have said that Made in the Dark or The Warning were better albums - or, at least, have stronger hits. In re-visiting those albums, I was reminded of how the album format doesn't always do a lot of bands any favors - and I think that held true for In Our Heads as well. There are some gems here but it's surrounded by a lot of meh. Maybe a high 3/low 4 kind of situation and going with a 4 because I have a soft spot for synth pop, and because these guys really go for it with a lot of their music - even if it doesn't always land.

I didn’t have high hopes for this going in. The only song I know from Hot Chip off the top of my head is Over And Over which I don’t really care for. I was pleasantly surprised then with the opener of this, Motion Sickness, which is an absolutely belting track. The strong tracks continued until Look At Where We Are which I wasn’t fussed on at all. This was followed by another dud for me in These Chains. I kinda figured the album would carry on downhill but luckily Night And Day was another cracker which got me right back into it. The rest of the album, while really good, never hit another high like that again. It’s definitely one I’ll return to though. Top Track - Motion Sickness

I've never really understood the Hot Chip love. Vanilla LCD Soundsystem.

This album is kinda like pumpkin pie for me—I enjoyed the first bite and get why people might like it, but I was sick of it by the end.

Extremely of the time and place. This came out around the time I graduated high school and it very much tracks with a lot of what I was hearing at the time. This album has some quite danceable songs but half way through it I got the sense that there’s not really any standouts.

Not that I hated the album, but why was it on this list? Totally unremarkable, I could’ve died without listening to this album.

Admittedly I couldn’t finish it

Another surprise, but not nearly as pleasant as Kiwanuka. Why exactly is this album on the list? I'm reminded of tap water.

A collection of very skippable songs

Another amazing new find for me through the 1001 project, this album caught my interest right from the first song! Interesting style that crosses genres and sounds like it could have been made in several different eras. Dragged just a tiny bit in the second half but for me that was more the time of day I was listening than the fault of the music. 4.5/5

Blended so seamlessly into the background that I didn't even realize it was over. What a list we got here.

Great vibe. Very cool

Missade hot chip när de var stora och tur var väl det

Hot Chip är sympatiska t.o.m. rätt kul. Men jag pallar inte mer än 1-2 låtar åt gången, absolut max 3. Tror aldrig jag tagit mig igenom ett HC album från början till slut, så heller icke nu. Det är som en princesstårta med knäck och rn godisskål bredvid, en mastig sockercbock. Varje spår för sig är bra men ihop too much Svag tvåa

Jag är rätt förtjust i Hot Chips melodistarka pop och i synnerhet Alexis Taylors sätt att sjunga den. Men detta är inte deras starkaste verk. Här finns ingen Over and over eller Boy from school. Jag lyfter hellre fram The Warning och Made in the dark.

Kul då. Har åldrats dåligt. Hade varit bättre instrumentalt.

Lättviktig pop. Det här ger mig ingenting. Svag tvåa.

Mid

The description on this album was electronic music, but I would consider it light electronic because it's more than that. There's vocals on every song and no excessive repetitive musical interludes; sometimes it sounds 80s and sometimes it sounds more modern; and additionally (as another reviewer pointed out) it veers into indie music territory. The songs can be atmospheric and I was always engaged, and of course I appreciated the indie elements. It wasn't what I expected, and I love being proved wrong about an album.

Take one part 808 State and one part Depeche Mode and what do you get? Hot Chip. But don't take the GOOD parts of either band. And you don't get a good product either. There's no danger. There's no brooding or melancholy. It's bog-average club music that glides right through your brain like it's in a Wesson party. Nothing sticks and nothing bites. If you get caught up in the moment you might bop a little, but once the track ends you're left wanting. Give me a reason to come back. Not influential, not essential. My Rating: 3/5

ok, just ok

Doesn’t quite feel like a 4 but definitely enjoyed this. I’ll be back for more from this band

Had some bops at the beginning, but I lost interest the longer it went on. That said, really interesting to hear this sort of sound from the 2010s that I easily could have placed in the 80s or 90s.

Seemed reasonably interesting at first but then the same problem as all electronic music, the repetitive loops get, well, repetitive and boring.

"In Our Heads" is a polished, agreeable synth-pop record that successfully balances electronic sequencing with live, organic instrumentation. Hot Chip are skilled craftsmen, and the production throughout is clean, warm, and accessible. However, the album ultimately lacks the sharp edge, tension, or bold innovation required to make it a truly essential listen. It is a pleasant, well-made effort that occasionally settles for being simply comfortable. Three stars. 1 "Motion Sickness" (4/5) 2 "How Do You Do?" (3/5) 3 "Don't Deny Your Heart" (3/5) 4 "Look at Where We Are" (3/5) 5 "These Chains" (3/5) 6 "Night & Day" (3/5) 7 "Flutes" (3/5) 8 "Now There Is Nothing" (3/5) 9 "Ends of the Earth" (3/5) 10 "Let Me Be Him" (3/5) 11 "Always Been Your Love" (3/5) Total - 34 Average - 3.1 408/1001 211/408 albums reviewed were new to me.

I bought this record because it had a cool cover back in like 2011. Didn’t care for it back then, but I guess my tastes have changed because I really enjoyed it this time around.

A nice ez listen. Yes a head trip. Some nice ambient sounds and lyrical descriptions of life. Not a big fan of electronica but this one I like.

Totally fine. Some good songs. Not that exciting though. I was going to make a reference to the “eat hot chip” meme but that’s already the most upvoted review on this album so we’re all fucking dorks I guess.

Great electronic pop but a little bit uninspired.

A good time!

A few years ago, I made a list of my 100 favorite albums of the 2010s. This album was not on that list. If I were to make that list today I feel confident in saying that this album would have a serious shot at making that list! It's such a bright, groovy, and just fun indie pop album. Some fantastic hooks combined with some fantastic grooves that had me dancing in my room at points. It's almost an hour long and it feels like 30 minutes. Great stuff, I'm so happy I heard it.

8 / 10

Not that hot

This was a wild experience for me that I have yet to have on this 1001 albums experience. I had heard of Hot Chip but knew nothing about them, so I’d never listened to this record. First listen, I mostly hated it. Thought it was like boring of Montreal and unlistenable at times. But then decided to give it a second listen. I initially thought I was still gonna dislike it, but all of a sudden, I started dig the sound, lead singer’s voice…decided to give it a third listen. That’s when I realized I really enjoyed over half the album. Don’t Deny, Look at Where We Are, Night and Day, Flutes, Ends of the Earth, and Love. Crazy ride. From really hating to enjoying. Still just three stars. I’m not crazy for the album. But I was pleasantly surprised by the end of my third listen

A bit of electro funk in my life, ´cause I'm worth it.

Albums like this is why I started this. First foray into this band, and what an introduction. Great album; funky soulful innovative- all the buzzwords. Can not wait to listen amany more times.

Ik vond het wel leuk, maar niet heel memorabel.

It's 80s synth pop morphing into dance music. Very upbeat. Not bad.

mmmm chips great

Envelope to my head. Coldplay mixed with Arctic Monkeys. Alright, let's tear into this bad boy. Classic Johnny Carson quote "Let's tear into this bad boy." You couldn't stop him from saying it. Who could forget that night where they had to tie him down and gag him during that interview with Madonna. He just couldn't stop himself. OCD is a real sickness. Sorry CarNak, somehow you didn't predict British white boys pretending to be funky. I think people listen to music with zero context. The question that billows through their empty heads like a tumbleweed through a ghost town, is "Rhythm make dance" and then if yes, we can nod and grunt our approval. Look at the year this came out. Look at a picture of the people producing it. Peely-wally British DORKS churning out attempted club hits and co-opting R & B for some reason in two thousand bloody twelve? By 2012, mainstream music was completely dead and my word, is this ever a festering boil on that disease-ridden corpse. Also, didn't this book come out in 2005? Happy that the author re-opened his book to append this tumour onto it. Happy Monday everyone. Rise and Grind. Remember that life is like a sandwich; no matter which way ya flip it, the bread comes first - Unknown Instagram prophet 0 HIGHLIGHTS: Never again

I would’ve picked a different Hot Chip record? Or not one at all maybe?? I REALLY like Hot Chip but i don’t know how “absolutely essential” this record is.

Exceptionally mid. Maybe fun at times, but I thought this was so uninteresting for the most part. Does not belong on here.

ME GUSTÓ MÁS DE LO QUE ESPERABA JAJAJAJA

Not in the mood

Helt ålreit.

For an EDM album, this wasn't half bad

melodic indie is not for me

Pure shite

Fun synth pop album. It was high energy and upbeat and had some interesting rhythms. Don't Deny Your Heart was great and Night and Day was pretty good too, but the second half of the album wasn't quite as good as the first half.

Mais um disquinho insignificante.

This was better than I originally anticipated. Very, VERY 80’s influenced, to a painful degree. Every beat and synth sounds like it wishes it was born in 1983. That said, they do make something enjoyable out of this retro pastiche. The beat is consistently good and some tracks have this almost dance-able energy to them. The tracks where it slows down were a little less interesting, but the overall album was still a good effort. 80’s nostalgia by a band named Hot Chip, didn’t expect to actually like it.

45

In the end this album was just ok. Pretty repetitive.

Classic hot chip, nothing not to like.

I was immediately hooked by the first track - it reminded me of "Kids" by MGMT and "Shooting Stars" by Bag Raiders, just took me right to the late 2000s-early 2010s. Unfortunately, the album sort of loses all momentum directly after that, and becomes this generic porridge of pop. This was just a bit heartbreaking, because I wanted to be the one that gave this a 5/5, when the average sits at around 3/5, but that is pretty much completely accurate.

Decent listen.

Delighted to see this on the list. Love everything about the band and the album. A couple of decades in and they’re still taking electro music in new directions. Love it.

ass i literally can't listen to this

What an electronic banger from start to finish. Only knew 'Over and Over' before this album, but I was impressed. Added a few to my Liked Songs.

I found most of this underwhelming. It sounded like a boring version of STRFKR. A couple decent songs but mostly average.

Most of these songs felt like they’d be playing at an upscale but mostly casual downtown eatery. Fine but nothing too special. 2.5 rounded up.

Two albums exactly like this so I'm copy pasting the review from the last one. Had to turn it off 30 minutes in. There's this certain genre of music that boils down to "we found this 5 second long bit that we really like. We like it so much that we think you should listen to it for 6 minutes." I sat through one daft punk album on this site and I won't be doing anything even remotely similar again. Not for me.

Interesting electronic music but very lyric heavy. Some songs could have been better with less singing.

Sounds as though there was a Two Door Cinema Club, Metronomy & LCD Soundsystem supergroup, big fan!

I hate electronica, which this record leans pretty heavy into. The record does operate more on the level of “songs” as opposed to “soundscapes” or dance tracks, but it still kinda sucks. The music itself does nothing for me, but the singer's singing also drives me up a wall; not because it's particularly abrasive but because it lacks any real character beyond being subtly feminine...I guess I'm saying that Hot Chip sings like a daggum pussy. 5/10

Some parts were quite cool, and Night And Day was a really great track. Too much of this album though sounded rather generic.

This was okay. I was listening very passively. But I enjoyed it. A couple tracks melodies caught my ear. 3 stars.

Very peppy drek.

non proprio il mio genere (non ascolterei mai), ma molto orecchiabile

Motion sickness - 3 How do you do? - 2 Don't deny your heart - 1 Look at where we are - 2 These chains - 2 Night & day - 3 Flutes - 1 Now there is nothing - 2 Ends of the earth - 1 Let me be him - 1 Always been your love - 1

of montreal adjacent but flatter, less fun, less interesting

hmm is ok album

Jag skiter i att han sjunger asfult! Skiven e bra okej...

Ganska tråkigt

Har inte haft så kul.

Inte riktigt för mig men inte direkt dåligt.

This was a mess. It sounded like a modern take on 80’s new wave. When it was good, it was good and really worked, but when it was bad, it was terrible.

I love Hot Chip and have seen them live lots of times. This is their worst album. Apart from 'Flutes', nothing on this album is worthy of a second play.

I enjoy it, but there's no "big" song on there and Hot Chip have much better albums.

Clever, soulful and quietly adventurous

Trendy. But actually pretty good! I feel cool when I listen to this, prefer mgmt

Corny and outdated sounded like a background music for an club music of the 80s

Started off great, but the it became too pop-ish

It's OK. It's early 2010s indie. A little quirky, a little fey, overall unoffensive. Why this album made the cut instead of literally a single Tool or Deftones album, however, I have no clue. No Godspeed You! Black Emperor, no Tesseract or Periphery or Mushuggah. Not bands or albums that appeal to everyone, but bands that either created or were instrumental in the creation/proliferation of entirely new genres of music. Whatever. Out of 970 albums so far, I'd say that EASILY 400 of them are confusing additions to the project.

Second half of the album was great.

Poo bum willy bristols. Sorry, nothing to do with the album, I just wanted a top-rated review 😅

Ooof, the band photo didn’t do these guys any justice, that’s for sure. Here I was thinking they were going to be EMO and 20 seconds in I feel like it’ll be the Pet Shop Boys instead. Rats This is a well done album, sound wise The vocals are a wee bit cheesy. The music can sound a tad bit corny I can see how some people would like this. This could also be another one of those bands that makes their money in the remix category. I feel like some of these songs could be salvaged with the right remix. Until then. I don’t like it but that’s not what completely matters here. It’ll do

6/10

I hated this way more than I ever expected based on the one or two songs of theirs I knew before.

This is solid dance pop. It's sadly only that.

Pretty good electronica.

Сара 4 Марко 4,5

It's a sunny Saturday, I'm driving to play football with me pals, and tonight we're going out to Manchester town. In this context, I'm a massive fan of this. To be fair, I'd be quite a fan in most contexts, they're can really write some catchy tunes. It's quite repetitive - obviously, that's the point - and a little too long on that basis, but a very enjoyable experience all told.

++: How Do You Do?, Don't Deny Your Hearts, Flutes, Always Been Your Love +: Night & Day, Now There Is Nothing +-: Motion Sickness, These Chains, Ends of the Earth -: Look at Where We Are, Let Me Be Him 5,4/10

2.7 got old after a whilr

I don't recall this one from 2012. It could be because it didn't catch my attention, or it could be because it blended in with the rest of the music of the time. This was okay. I listened to it a couple times, mainly to see if I had any changed feelings about it. I don't really feel much about this one. I don't love it, so it's not 5 stars. I don't absolutely hate it, so it's not 1 star. I enjoyed it, but it didn't leave me feeling any particular way. It was alright.

okay

Each song, It seemed like each song was in a video game, but then the singing started and I skipped to the next.

Love the live shows and they have a few songs that reach really great highs for me. But this is pretty middle of the pack for me overall. Solid 3

Probably pretty good music if you’re into this kind of stuff. Not my style

the songs didnt come together quite in the way i was hoping, theres a lot of good instrumental elements but there wasn't a song i 100% liked, there was always something i thought was very bad after something kinda good.. also the vocalist was pretty annoying to me, some songs id def like better if they were fully instrumental or had someone else singing you can def tell this shits from 2012

It's alright. Well produced and mixed but can't say I feel like it treads and new ground or does anything you haven't heard somewhere else before, don't see this as being essential

No el mejor disco de Hot Chip tbh

cool electronica but it got worse with every song, the first one is the best

I struggled with this. Halfway through I figured I’d give it a 3, but it actually took a downward turn for me from there. I guess this is one of the few so far where I’m pretty far below the global average.

Honestly, I don't understand why, when the latest reissue of "1001 albums..." needed to add some hipster favorites from the early 2010s, the creators decided to go with Hot Chip. Not Two Door Cinema Club, not Metronomy, or Vampire Weekend, but Hot Chip. And not their most obvious album, either! I mean, the album isn't bad, but the band had been together for ten years by then, and the youthful exuberance and energy that were fully present at the beginning... Well, it didn't evaporate, but it gave way to calmer and more mature, albeit still danceable, songs about love and long-term relationships. Which, again, is not a bad thing. Rüfüs Du Sol will soon be doing something similar — romantic electronic music that's just as good for one-on-one time as it is for a club dance floor. It's an okay record, but nothing special.

Thought it was one long song. An album full of nothingness’s

Even after over 800 albums I love that I'm finding some hidden gems. This album is funky in all the right ways, and somehow reminds me of Gotye. I can't wait to listen to this again!

The album was fine. The videos were strange. Best song: "Always Been Your Love" nothing else really stood out. Not an album I would have on my shelves, but still it was fine listening to it once.

This was fun!

7.6

6/10 It played through twice while o was focussed, so neither offensive to the ear, nor particularly memorable

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Motion Sickness, Look At Where We Are, Flutes Synth pop is not normally something I go in for. I think just a few albums ago I skewered some other heavy synth music, and certainly over the course of nearly 500 albums, I've not rated electronica music too highly, despite enjoying certain sub-genres immensely (downtempo, soft trap, acid crunk). For this album, it has some really strong catchy tunes, but also several misses. The front half of the album is better. I am finding that generally the lyrics don't always make a ton of sense (or I am fundamentally misunderstanding something). On Motion Sickness, the claim? that we once thought (past tense) the world was round.... It is round. Very round. To suggest otherwise is dumb. On the second song, how does someone make someone else want to live... again? Certainly, making someone want to live is a good thing, but to live again would imply dying and then coming back to life. I am clearly missing something, whether symbolism, hyperbole or metaphor. In any event, if I ignore the lyrics and focus mostly on the music, I can get on board with this. I would certainly put some of these songs on a playlist, and for that to be true, the album has to be a 4 for me.

Annoying

Not bad, not into synth like this (pop) but it isn't a bad album.

Quite enjoyable. Nice relaxing electro-pop with some mild lyrics to bob my head to while I do office work. It's not exactly groundbreaking or experimental, but I still had a good time.

𝘐𝘯 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 is a perfectly enjoyable electropop album, but it never really rises above that. Hot Chip have a knack for combining warm electronic production with understated pop melodies, making the album easy to listen to from start to finish. What the album lacks, at least for me, is a real sense of surprise. The songs are consistently well crafted, but few of them leave a lasting impression once they’re over. I enjoyed the experience while it lasted, yet I rarely felt compelled to pay closer attention. It’s a good example of modern electropop, just not one that I find especially memorable.

I like this band, but for some reason never encountered this particular album. Prob cause nothing on it was especially catching, would love to know the justification for some of these album’s inclusion on this list

Would I listen again: some songs hell yeah! This was such a mixed bag for me weirdly. Highlights were motion sickness, don’t deny your heart and let me be him. Sometimes the instrumentation was scratching my brain and sometimes it was annoying

It was hard to rate this one. On the one hand it wasn’t my style of music typically but on the other hand there were some cool things about it. It a funky sort of jazzy and disco vibe. I liked how retro throwback it felt while still being young and fresh. There was also a good variety in the sound.

So lame. Falls just sort of being a 1. RYM: N Saved a song: N

Weeeeoooo!!!! Weeeeeooo!!! someone sound the alarm, this is your reminder to watch the “I Feel Better” music video. GOD I FUCKING LOVE HOT CHIP!!! This lil micro era of electronic pop that included bands like LCD Soundsytem, Hotchip, Yeasayer, and MGMT is one of my favorites. Something about millennial dorks making dance music is so soothing to my soul. Okay but anyway, yes, we’re talking about this album. The production on it is so damn cleeeeaaan, there isn’t a single sound that isn’t given enough space to contribute to the overall sound, each note feels so deliberate and serves the beat without stepping on anybody’s lines. “Flutes” is a great example of this, that song keeps building on top of that beat and I never feel a single part of it slip from my focus. N’ I mean cmooooon, this album is so fun. Truly, if you are not dancing, tapping your toes, or singing along while listening to this album you’re letting it be lowered by a letter grade. 4.5 STARS! GOLD MEDAL! PROUD OF YOU BOYS Okay but it’s crazy that “The Warning” wasn’t the Hot Chip album chosen.

Listening to this album feels like a circle of toddlers grouped together drooling on their Duplo Lego blocks, atop a color-blocked and faded rug. While nothing is noticeably offensive or harsh on the ears, nothing else is particularly impressive or memorable about this album. The stained-glass-like album cover is visually interesting and does a good job of representing the soundscape of the album. The instruments and progression feel very sanitized and clinical, and combined with the unimpactful vocals, each song was a drag to get through. Put together, I was left feeling bored and sleepy throughout the runtime, with no memorable or standout tracks to point at. I did not latch onto anything in particular, and I was disappointed by the end of its runtime. Actively listening to the project I would struggle to pick out any specific element that impresses me. I would not call it outright bad, though, just definitely not my flavor. I do not foresee myself revisiting this album, but I could actually see in the future my tastes shifting and this being my jam.

Not my favourite work by them, but perfectly listenable

There was nothing to this album. Songs that I forgot as soon as they were over. I wouldn't call it bad just meaningless which is the best compliment I can muster. Maybe I expected something joyous or fun, this was neither.

The is Sparks for people who like decaf coffee with 3 sugars

어우 듣기 좋아

kinda fine, just not very interesting, a bit too electric for my tastes

bit of hot potato I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I always think they would be better with a different vocalist

This was just boring. A dance band trying to do grown up music without using guitars - they shouldn't have bothered

It was okay to listen to not my favorite

I’ve always found hot chip incredibly boring

Pretty solid synth pop. Something about it is kinda not for me, but it's got moments of brilliance. "How Do You Do?" is a pretty good song. "Now There is Nothing" is decent too.

3 stars I remember listening to this album. It was their newest album before seeing Hot Chip at Coachella 2013. The album is fine. Fun. But it gets old. That’s how I felt then and how I felt listening to it now. I wouldn’t have remembered this album if not for this list.

Poppin’ synthpop from Hot Chip. Good threefer with How Do You Do?, Don’t Deny Your Heart, and Look At Where We Are (best track.) Songs start to sound pretty similar early on, but it’s all good. (3.2*s) It was a great album for an elliptical session!

Hot Chip got a good electro-alt thing going. Right in the same vein as another band I favor, Joywave. They get a little clubby on the beats here and there but In Our Heads is a good album. I got this one from a vinyl club I had joined a while back. Had not heard the band prior and liked it at the time...this go around even more. I was never bored despite some long song run times. "Motion Sickness", "Night and Day" and "Flutes" bests. I have since heard much talk about these guys from fellow list listeners and will need to go back through their first four. 3.65 stars and will be double dipping the chip again.

Really excited that Hot Chip gets some recognition on this list. I was made aware of them from a Gorillaz remix many years back and decided to check out some of their stuff. I dipped my toe into the Hot Chip well and really enjoyed quite a few unique alt-dance synth pop tunes from them. I've since seen them live and they are a ton of fun both in terms of stage presence and overall vibe of their crowd and sets. In Our Heads perfectly encapsulated what makes Hot Chip unique. It's a very solid album with a handful of quirky synth-pop dance tunes that hit the mark. Night & Day is the best song and really outlines how their song construction is wholly unique. Groovy beats that are outside the box, quirky lyrics, catchy hooks all add up to a very memorable track that is unlike anything else on the market. The rest of the album is solid enough to keep your interest with a couple other singles good enough to come back to this album. While I was already a Hot Chip fan I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. Nothing about their songs sound derivative of another act. Even if it isn't in your wheelhouse this is a perfect album for this list as it exposes the listener to something different. These are guys are fun, experimental and competent and I will continue to check out whatever they release. I'd recommend checking out some of their other hits to see if they scratch that itch for anyone else. 4.02 stars

I like Hot Chip. Always have. I would say that in my view The Warning is a better album as it really introduced the group to a wider audience and has some absolute classics from the group on there. This is a good album and shows that they’ve really hit their stride as a group, but it doesn’t have the breakthrough relevance of The Warning.

Ritmo electrónico. No es lo mío

Fun little album, but I don't remember a single thing from it

01) Motion Sickness - 9,0 02) How Do You Do? - 8,5 03) Don't Deny Your Heart - 8,5 04) Look at Where We Are - 8,5 05) These Chains - 8,0 06) Night & Day - 9,0 07) Flutes - 9,0 08) Now There Is Nothing - 8,5 09) Ends of the Earth - 8,5 10) Let Me Be Him - 9,0 11) Always Been Your Love - 8,5 TOTAL: 8,64 (86/100) Current ranking: 132/943

Happy go lucky tunes, up and coming

I have never heard of them. Electronic music. No real instruments. The male vocalist is not good. The female vocalist is good. I guess it is music you can dance to. No song really stands out. Lots of the songs sound the same. Not very good. Two stars.

This is an album you sit and actually listen to. Good stuff and an album that keeps your toes tapping

it’s a good album and match the book I’m reading about the 00’s perfectly, unfortunately I listened on a chaotic day and will forget everything about this by tomorrow

I haven’t liked what I’ve heard in the radio and this didn’t change my mind.

This was really good! Look at where we are is such a great tune! Will revisit this one!

Just started listening meee, meee. First thoughts sounds like a poor mans pet shop boys. Half way through iv nailed it. Human League/Heaven 17 and especially New Order. Would rather listen to the originals. Nothing offensive.

Very nice.

80s synth pop, but it feels like the life has been drained out of it and it just becomes...meh. I don't think having the voice bound between your ears, and the strange voice effects (see "Look At Where We Are") contributes to it in any positive way, either.

this was vaguely familiar and i’m not sure why. it was okay in parts

Definitely 2010s pop

I found this album to just be boring. I don't want to be bored listening to music. Favorite Track - Ends of the Earth Least Favorite Track - Don't Deny Your Heart ⭐️⭐️

"English Electronic," shows up on this list quite often, dont you think?

Very fun and amazing album. Its vibes feel well placed and spread along the record, it's feel good all the way. Glad I heard it now.

her?

good, not my favorite

Sounds nice. I had this around the same time as It’s Blitz by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and unfortunately the comparison is just not flattering when it comes to propulsive electronic rock. I also always get this band mixed up with Hercules and the Love Affair. This and Passion Pit and similar “everything and the kitchen sink” genre-blending electro pop acts will likely go down in history as millennialslop. It just doesn’t have any sense of urgency.

Could see this being fine in the right setting, but it was a bit boring and long. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

Annoyingly white bread generic. There’s absolutely no reason to replicate shitty 80s music 20 years later.

takes me back to moving back to la and working in a lab where we'd listen to kcrw in the morning and id always dread npr news ending and jason bentley playing his set of total dogwater music. i gave this an honest listen because i dont know id he played anything off this album in particular, so there was nothing traumatizing in this for me. but it all sounded like this. he also played the same vampire weekend song like every day that summer. but i dont think we'll look back on this time and remember this band, feels like a premature call on the list writer's part

It’s ok alternative dance type music but I’ve heard better

I know Hot Chip isn’t for everyone. I think you could make strong arguments that they don’t belong on the 1001 list at all. But what I don’t understand is why this album is on the list instead of The Warning. The only really notable thing about this one is it incorporates more house into their usual style.

Never listened. Expectations: None - Verdict: Dislike - Motion Sickness is ok. How Do You Do? has a good opening groove but I really don't like it once it gets going. I'm only a few tracks in and I really don't think this album is doing anything for me. Each song starts with an element that I don't mind and then manages to twist it into something I don't like. An album with some potential but not enjoyable for me.

It's probably due to the fact that I had a run of 5 or so albums from the 50's/60's right before this one, but ai enjoyed this album more than I should have. It sounds fresh and fun.

Abysmal nothingness. Is this really the best of the 2010s?

Hot Chip?? HOT CHIP ON THIS LIST???? When I was a teen, me and my two friends thought we were the only people who were knew about Hot Chip. We had discovered them on ✨the Internet✨. We loved them committedly and even formed our own tribute band called Hop Chip featuring, amongst other things, Susan's rabbit and guinea pig on keyboard and synth respectively. Anyway, the point is, 20 years later I am absolutely chuffed to see Hot Chip here. Turns out it wasn't just the three of us after all. And this is actually a new album for me (I was a Made In The Dark/One Life Stand gal) and of course I love it. Here's to you, the Chips 🍻

Bland, inoffensive, and totally unmemorable: not qualities that make for an album you must hear before you die. There were faint whispers of hooks here and there but they're like a more modern and boring version of the Pet Shop Boys.

I usually go for the synth pop revival thing, but this is just ok. Feel like a solid half of the 2000s and 2010s picks on this list are quite random and maybe were buzzy at the time but are now fairly obscure. Liked some of it, but its lacking anything particularly memorable

The electronic elements definitely added some interest, but it’s still early 2010s indie which is categorically not good.

Really bad.

I've seen Hot Chip a few times and know them pretty well, but this was my first full listen to an album, I believe. Better than expected and I figured it'd be pretty good. Most Hot Chip songs to me have 4 of 5 things working for it but doesn't quite all the way. This one had several 100%-ers and enjoyed the creativity overall.

This is silly indie synthpop. It can be fun, it can be tiring, it can be useless.

Groovin hard, vibes up.

Felt very worth my while. Upbeat

Pretty fun

Favorite Track: Let Me Be Him

This is a band that I listen to often but I have never listened to a whole album. It is a dance band. It is fun. I do think that there is often a difference in a song versus an album and I feel that this project will show some of those moments. An album is often a capture in time which may show trends or musical preoccupations. I am not sure that this is a cohesive set of songs to put together. Thematically, they do seem to hold but there isn't any that have to be there. That isn't to say that this isn't a good album just that it seems more of a bunch songs that they were doing at the same time. I hear inspirations of the 80s; Thompson Twins, a song or two that wouldn't be out of place on an XTC record, or even Erasure. Less produced than the 80s and so it doesn't feel rehashed. Sampling of birds was done by Art of Noise and the Orb and doesn't feel out of place here. A few times I found myself wondering about whether there was a connection to LCD Soundsystem and I wasn't too surprised that there is one. There are a few more thinky songs and that's okay. I mean from the top with Motion Sickness, you can tell that the lyrics can be fun. Night and Day reminds me of a cheesier Fischer Spooner in places and was one of the songs that made me wonder about and LCD Soundsystem connection. I mean dance and sex goes together. Flutes is a standout. Flaming Lips comes to mind. Maybe it is some of the lyrics and vocals that draw this parallel to me. Now there is nothing is the XTC lite track I was thinking about. Maybe a reject from Skylarking album. Some 70s feeling cheese here. AOR stuff. Like an Alice Cooper dance tune. Let Me Be Him with the steel guitar sound and birds reminds me of KLF and the Tammy Wynette alternates. Look. Sometimes you just want to dance and don't want it to be so vacuous and vapid. This is a time to put on some IDM or something like this. It can be cheesy and interesting at the same time. Not sure this feels like a necessary 1001 album but you could definitely pull worse examples. As I said, I often put Hot Chip on. That makes it start at a 3 unless the album had songs that would make me turn it off. Nothing has swayed me to put this album on versus others nor has it made me want to pick this band over a dozen others, so I guess it stays at a 3. Now, I didn't add any of the songs to my favourites list. Not quite sure what that means. I will have to sit on that as I develop how I mark these records.

Ah ok, so this is what Hot Chip sounds like (and why I have no memory of it despite inevitably having heard them at some point). There are bits that are good here and there, and I like electronica as a genre quite a lot, so I have no problem with it from that angle. But this record isn't very surprising or interesting to me. Maybe I would prefer their earlier stuff? Wikipedia says they're influenced by Roxy Music and Royal Trux, which I'm kind of baffled by on the basis of this album alone. 2 stars

Quite nice, nothing too crazy or special but a nice synthpop record

This one really didn't feel like anything special, I'm afraid.

Not bad! Enjoyed a lot of it. Maybe a little too long. Ended one song too late. Thought it was gonna be an attempt to revive 80s synthpop at first but things got better as the album went on. A good example of the album generator needing half ratings cuz I would easily have given this a 3.5. Alas.

Hot Chip got added in as part of the 2013 edition of the book - just one year after the album's release. It's one of those cases where, hearing it fresh today, the significance of its inclusion is weakened; the writers could not have foreseen this particular sound being diluted to hell in the following decade. Case in point: most of these songs come across as Discover Weekly fodder. Of course, Discover Weekly does tend to bless you with some divine pulls every once in a while....... Standouts: Motion Sickness • These Chains • Night and Day

This is the album James Murphy could make if he wasn't addicted to sniffing his own farts

I mean, it's a pretty good 80s album, for being from 2012. It does get a bit try-hard in places, and overall becomes quite samey. A fun listen though.

Not the Hot Chip album _I_ would have chosen, but I quite enjoyed it nonetheless.

4/5

I had (over)rated this in my mind as closer to a 4, remembering only the few truly excellent tracks (“Motion Sickness”, “These Chains,” “Flutes”, “Let Me Be Him”) and forgetting the truly awful ones (“Night and Day” in particular is an embarrassment) and the mediocre ones (all the rest). I guess on the most recent listen I was so electrified by what was good here that the lesser stuff was twice as disappointing. Best track: “Let Me Be Him”

It's a vibe. Upbeat, poppy, dancey. The lyrics make no sense.

Don’t know this band and this album. Another English band Im unfamiliar with. Synthy indie dance pop/rock. Very 80s-90s inspired electronic dance music. It’s fun. I don’t dislike it. Not sure I would really choose to listen to much of it again. But there are some songs that are less dance heavy I enjoyed. Look At Where We Are is great. As a whole, this feels like elevated pop music, with some heavy synth use. Weird one to rate. I like a lot of it, but kind of doesn’t stand out after a while. There’s certainly a defined sound here and it’s pretty interesting. Somewhere between a 2 and 3. Not my typical music, but it’s fun. One thing for me though, is this essential? Doesn’t seem like a must listen. Something from the early 2010s getting on this list but not a single Vampire Weekend album? The choices of music from 2000s-2010s is sometimes confusing.

I liked that it was experimental and some songs were actually really good but some were admittedly hot ass

Hot chip: good for eating and good for dancing!!! Really really liked this one

It was fine as background music until it really started to piss me off

I dig this album! It feels very cozy strangely, much like the Everything but the Girl album.

Pretty good, not bad.

Boring

It had its moments.

El disco me gustó, están buenas las canciones. Me pareció muy largo cada tema nomás.

Been meaning to listen to this one. Hot chip. Lie. Bisexual. Etc. Ok interesting sound. They kinda sound like that parody of 80s European music trying sound English. It's interesting. I'm not sure how I feel. Some gems but a lot of slop as well methinks. Yeah not all that. Favourite: Motion Sickness Least favourite: How Do You Do?

Hot Chip cool. Surely earlier albums are more essential? I don't know but I'm fairly confident Rob would have blown it. Or in classic over doing it fashion, they're on here too.

im not sure how i feel abt this.

300/1089 halfway through the first song and i’m SO into this so far omg okay it took a bit of a left turn and i still like it but it’s a bit more on the quirky side than i was expecting Flutes is excellent overall a really great album, i think it could’ve been a bit better if it had taken more from Motion Sickness etc but this js a bit of me faves: Motion Sickness, Flutes, Ends of the Earth, These Chains 83/100

Saw electronica and expected a headache. Wasn't nearly as bad as I was anticipating. There was nothing here that grabbed my attention. Seemed to lose me pretty early during my listens. Felt this was kind of a slow and pretty boring. Wasn't anything obnoxious, like most electronica shit, but just nothing here that would bring me back to this album. 2

3 Hot Chip? Aren’t they responsible for that Shaq meme? Did Shaq eat these guys?? Anyway, I saw beforehand that the band is classified as “alternative dance”, so I was hoping to hear something similar to LCD Soundsystem, a group I’m quite fond of, but they actually turned out to have a sound much more evocative of New Order - which hey, that’s cool, I like them too! And I gotta say, this album starts out STRONG in that regard. I absolutely loved the opener, Motion Sickness, and by the time How Do You Do? rolled around, I found myself dancing around my place. Like, I don’t really consider myself much of a club kid, but if this is the stuff they were playing at the club, I would probably tear that place up. And yes, as I write that out now, I’m aware of how cringe that sounds, but those were the honest to God thoughts I had when I first put this on. And yet, without fail, this album seemed to inevitably lose me somewhere around the middle each time that I listened to it. I can’t pinpoint any specific song or even a reason as to why it did exactly, but for some reason, no matter how much groove I had in me at the start, the last few songs found me groove-less, sitting down, and waiting for it to end. I’m inclined to say it's simply a matter of weaker songwriting in the back half, but it’s also just as possible I got tired of the vibe around that point as well. Maybe a little of column A, a little of column B? It also doesn’t help that a lot of the longer songs are placed towards the end as well. Like, Let Me Be Him was fine enough, but I really didn’t need 8 minutes of it nearly an hour into the album. If this album were trimmed down a bit, it could very possibly get a 4 from me, but the way it’s organized now just does not hold my attention for its full duration. It’s cool to hear what a modern New Order might sound like, but for me, it’s not quite New Order level of catchy songwriting. Still, I’m happy to have become acquainted with Hot Chip, and I could definitely see myself checking out more of their stuff in the future!

I listen to Hot Chip quite a bit and enjoy them a lot. This wouldn't be my choice for their one album on the list but, like everything they do, it's still good.

80’s Culture Club vibes.

News to me, real nice!

This is a pretty uninteresting synthpop record that comes across as a rather wannabe Pet Shop Boys. I didn't fine the music or vocals particularly engaging. Not something I'd bother to play again.

not my vibe, kind of annoying 1/5

Pleasant enough but nothing that would bring me back for multiple listens.

Basement Jaxx at home:

It's alright. A little generic and bland. I thinknI prefer their counterparts Cut Copy; they share a lot in common. Also, there are more substantial Hot Chip albums out there.

Чилловая, немного ретровейвовая электроника, чем-то напоминающая более синтовые треки Tame Impala. Есть качовые танцевальные треки, но в основном альбом уходит в более мелодичный, мечтательный вайб. В целом, неплохой, но проходной альбом, пару треков я себе добавил.

Really good sound and lyrics

Mostly harmless. Instantly forgettable but not offensive.

this album started strong and then lost me as it kept going. peaked at "Look At Where We Are" and after that i was just less and less interested (though "Always Been Your Love" brought me back a bit).

New and never - new band, but never listen to again

I’ve never heard of this band before, which is a shame. Loved nearly every single album cover of theirs, actually. And music is nice. Simple enough to not be overwhelming, interesting enough to not be boring. Surely it’s very much inspired by 80s, but it was a great time for music. Probably not the most exciting album I’ve ever heard, though I did add a couple of songs to my playlist.

Average. You can die without hearing this.

nice safe middle of the road album

Really glad to have heard this, super unique sound and fun to listen to. Favorite track: Now There is Nothing

it was ok

'Remember when we both first felt the world is sound, the world is sound?' Like much else here, that's the sort of line that weds the profound to the joyous - the vast to the satisfied - & makes a happy project like this more than happy. I've always felt that it's harder to make art that's unabashedly joyful than it is to be steeped in negativism: you have to work thru more problems. But tho this isn't The Rascals, DeBarge, or the Pet Shop Boys' Very, In Our Heads succeeds to the extent that it teaches us to be in better moods. 'Won't you come back to my heart / There's something I'm trying to say.' It also bares out mysteries in the forms of memories, introducing the listener to some sort of inner world. & yet, it's also just dance music.

1001 albums to hear before you eat a hot chip 85# some goofy (night and day) catchy, danceable and really well produced, assemble of songs. I didn't expect this to surprise me at all, but i had a blast. Nothing deep, just dance to it when shoving your teeth, yeah, shove your teeth please, it's not the best breath you have.. am this is embarrassing. Go on, go shove it to hot chip.

Didn't really catch my attention and went on really long.

Man ... the guy who made this list must have played a ton of GTA! Just because a song makes it on one of the most popular video games ever made, doesn't make it a great album. This one started out fine, but then I grew tired of it quickly.

Head never heard of this band. I enjoyed it, it has a nice retro feel about it. Clean eighties sound. I never felt this was a must listen, though

3.5 i'd say, good parts couple of times in between

the first verse of track 2 is the worst moment yet on this sometimes rotten website. can't stop listening to it.

Exactly as I remember hot chip flat out boppy electronica. Infectious beats and sugary airy nonsense lyrics for the most part. Some standouts but such as night and day but got a little repetitive by the end. Still three stars although could be being slightly generous.

This record was pretty good. I didn't really enjoy the tracks at the beginning and end, but the ones in the middle were pretty good. Favourite Track(s): Night And Day Least Favourite Track(s): Motion Sickness, Let Me Be Him, Always Been Your Love

moody pop-dance

Different and fun

I do not like this genre

Yeah this was catchy, what's not to like?

2 - not the best

I believe Hot Chip was the name of a middle school group chat I had. Anyway, time for this album. Motion sickness actually had quite a nice groove to it that I didn’t expect going into it. How do you do was really funky! Don’t deny your heart had me dancing! I don’t expect this kind of album from a 2012 release, but it’s honestly cool. Look at where we are had a slightly different feel, maybe slightly R&B, but I thought it was a good addition. These Chains were back to being chill, yet dancey. Flutes was awesome. Thought it was a great long track. Now there is nothing was quite nice and reflective. Ends of the earth had some really cool synth going on. Though long, let me be him had a really good vibe going for it! Always been your love was a great closer. I loved this album! Thought it was super cool. 4/5 ⭐️ 112/1089

Feels good to be returning to the 2010s once again. The included albums from this decade are always easygoing and listenable, even if I don't think most of them are any good within the context of a "must-listen" list. I've never heard of this band or album, though I think it's pretty obvious that this will be an electronic album, albeit either an aggressive, electroclashy, of-the-time release or something more minimal and artsy. I think I'll hedge my bets on the former. Here goes. Wow, this album kind of falls down the exact middle of my two predictions. I wasn't expecting that. Anyways, this was solid. It doesn't entirely play to my musical sensibilities, but this music wins points for being representative of the time. Not in the headlining, majorly prominent kind of way, but it existed in a comfortable niche among people who had a vested interest in music. Millennial hippies, in other words. This is a difficult album to put in a box and break down, not just because the music is electronic. The style and sounds of this album change with just about every track and there are many unusual chord progressions, yet the album somehow manages to maintain a satisfying level of cohesion. There are some interesting sounds in here. The percussive electronic sounds are generally the best of this album. They have a nice, glossy finish to them - particularly those funky synths which underscore much of the music. The dated synths which drive the melodies of this album are quite good, too. I picked up sounds that were reminiscent of 70s prog rock and 2000s ambient music, though I'm sure there are plenty of other musical pastiches in here as well. Also of note are the real instruments which were thrown into the mix. The bass guitar is a constant highlight, adding a lot of bite and purchase to these tracks, though I appreciated the occasional cymbal clashes as well. The flamboyant songwriting isn't for me, but it gets the job done. The eclectic vocal style meshes with these electronic sounds quite well. My only real complaints with this album are that it drags on for a little longer than it's welcome, the songwriting can be a little vacuous at points and I find this music to be too impersonal for my tastes. Other than that, I had an alright time listening to this album. Book time. The band's "...most colorful and exuberant to date [...] but has a hefty helping of philosophy." "Theirs is a musical and spiritual quest that places emphasis and importance not on the outcome, but on the adventure and the journey." Man, this is such a millennial hippie album. Wikipedia says this album was recorded in five months, was well-received by critics and had surprise chart success. Granted, it was only modest for the most part, but the album charted in 14 different countries across Europe and the West. Like I said earlier, this album is a good representation of where music was at during the time, so I think its spot is well-earned on this list. I cosign this inclusion.

7/10 Buen album, buenos ritmos que no aburren, no destaca nada pero tampoco decepciona

Pensei que fosse gostar mais desse, mas a produção não vai pro meu gosto.

It's well made but none of these songs quite do it for me

While listening the first song, thought ok, interesting synth-pop? But then it got south rather quick with the quirkyness and had to push through.

I don’t know what to say about this album.

I enjoyed the first song, the rest is bland forgettable stuff.

Another album where I am going in completely blind. This is quite poppy. It has its moments that I enjoy, but also plenty of dead time. I think I like the instrumentals much more than the vocals and lyrics.

oo flute is rlly giood

Middling synthpop that no one has to listen to before they die. It's not even on 'overrated' levels of recognizability (a la MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, Kings of Leon's Only by the Night, any Daft Punk/Taylor Swift album, etc). Since this is seemingly *English* pop, I hope my perspective is overly American, and perhaps this is to someone across the pond as Only by the Night was to me - rash-inducing horror. Only then, do I suppose, it merits being on this list.

Reminds me of Kushion (I don’t think any of these songs existed when I was last in Kushion but they did love Hit Chips and soft electronica in there) Really enjoyed it. Night and Day bring the highlight.

Nice enough electro pop with an early 10cc vibe in places. Nothing exceptional for me though.

Sjukt å få to 1'ere på rad...

1. "How Do You Do?" 2. "Don't Deny Your Heart" 3. "Look at Where We Are"

Review - Very surprised to see this here. It's not a bad album, but it's also not very good and not very interesting. The songs I remember from this band aren't here, and I didn't hear anything that stopped me in my tracks. Their songwriting is based around slowly building up with more and more layers, so I often found songs got good in the last 30+40 seconds which got tiring. I don't know if people need to hear a Hot Chip album, and if they do I doubt it's this one. Rating - 5/10 Need to hear? NO

Interestingly

Anfang interessant, hat mich aber ab dem vierten Lied verloren.

Je elektronischer es war, desto mehr mochte ich es.

593/1001 2026.04.15

Really cool and I enjoyed it a lot, but I'm not sure it's the best option to represent this band.

I can really enjoy synth pop like this for a song, maybe two. But, in all, this was just too much synth and too much pop for me to rate the entire album very highly.

So. Much. Meh. Was this included on this list so the Pet Shop Boys wouldn't feel lonely? I mean, let's start at the beginning. It's not "lush baroque pop", so +2 for that! Otherwise, the music sounds like someone ran Moby through the Crapulator 3000 (the newest in enshittification technology!) and the lyrics underwhelm like a mid-70s American sedan. I'll give one more star for the beats in Night and Day, but otherwise, this is straight meh from front to back.

I like electropop, so I've tried these guys out before. It is all pleasant but I don't find myself going back.

Some pleasant sounds here and there, but I'm not into this genre at all.

J'ai un biais avec Hot Chip, la moitié des écoutes de Flutes sur Spotify doivent surement venir de moi

This was a new discovery for me. I had never heard of these people. It honestly is a lovely little pop dance album. A bit of fluff that I’m not sure I’ll remember for long, but quite an enjoyable listen. Reminds me a bit of the Bee-Gees, although without the harmonizing. But the same sort of lightweight dance feel.

I want to say the '80s called and they want their synths back, but it wasn't that bad.

I don't think I gave this album enough of a chance when it came out. I probably thought they were on a downward slide after the heights of Over and Over. This is a really solid album. It's a rare thing for an electronic album to have such little filler. One or two more memorable tracks short of a 5 though.

Wow. Have completely missed this band. Such great bland of electronica and rock. Love the heavy synthesizers and the beautiful song melodies!

# In-Depth Review: Hot Chip - *In Our Heads* (2012) ## Overview Released in June 2012 on Domino Records, *In Our Heads* represents Hot Chip's fifth studio album and their first release after departing EMI. The album captures the band at a pivotal moment—transitioning from quirky electro-pop upstarts to mature, confident purveyors of sophisticated dance music. It builds upon the foundation laid by 2010's acclaimed *One Life Stand* while pushing their sound into more expansive, emotionally resonant territory. --- ## Lyrics & Themes ### Domestic Bliss and Mature Romance Hot Chip have carved out a unique niche in dance music: songs about the pleasures of monogamy and domestic contentment. As one critic noted, "almost uniquely in the world of dance music—not a genre famed for its way with a lyric about how nice it is being married—Hot Chip have a winning line in songs about the pleasures of domesticity" . The lyrics throughout *In Our Heads* explore: - **Long-term commitment**: "Look at Where We Are" functions as both a relationship meditation and a reflection on the band's journey, with Alexis Taylor singing "Look at where we are / Remember where we started out" - **Celebration of life**: "How Do You Do?" transforms into a paean to finding joy in existence itself—"You make me wanna live again... A church is not for praying / it's for celebrating the light that shines through the pain" - **Romantic idealism**: "Let Me Be Him" captures "the essence of yearning for the girl of one's dreams" across its nearly eight-minute runtime ### Self-Aware Humor and References The band maintains their characteristic wit. "Night and Day" features a spoken-word bridge where Taylor adopts a DJ's persona, deadpanning: "I've just lined up Macca—we're not in Ayia Napa. Do I look like a rapper?" This self-deprecating humor acknowledges the disparity between their middle-class Englishness and the hip-hop influences they admire. The album title itself suggests introspection—music that exists "in our heads" rather than purely for the club, emphasizing Hot Chip's identity as "students of pop music" who process their vast record collections through their own distinctive filter . --- ## Music & Production ### Sonic Architecture The album showcases a sophisticated blend of influences: | Element | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Chicago/Detroit House** | Tracks like "How Do You Do?" and "Let Me Be Him" embrace classic house structures with modern production | | **1980s Pop** | "Don't Deny Your Heart" channels glossy '80s R&B with "kitsch electro piano" and falsetto vocals | | **Indie Sensibilities** | The band retains their Yo La Tengo-esque appreciation for pop craftsmanship | | **Orchestral Elements** | "Motion Sickness" opens with "big, stomping brass" and "wispy synth" creating an epic, building atmosphere | ### The Goddard-Taylor Dynamic The album highlights the complementary strengths of the band's two primary songwriters: - **Joe Goddard** brings the dancefloor energy—the "feet" of the operation. His side projects (like The 2 Bears) inform tracks such as "These Chains" with their "arms-aloft Chicago House sounds" - **Alexis Taylor** provides the emotional core—the "head" of the operation. His "soulfully low-key vocals" pay tribute to Phil Spector's wall-of-sound romanticism ### Sampling and Experimentation This album marked a shift toward sampling, which hadn't been a major part of their previous work. "Need You Now" began when Goddard discovered an a cappella record by Sinnamon in a São Paulo shop, building the instrumental around the sample . The band also explored hip-hop production influences more explicitly than on previous records. --- ## Standout Tracks ### "Flutes" The centerpiece and creative peak of the album. Described as "Arthur Russell rewriting 'Frère Jacques,'" it features "icy synths rising and falling below a round-robin melody" . The track builds slowly before an "almighty crescendo" transforms it into one of their finest moments . ### "Motion Sickness" The opener establishes the album's scope immediately with its "tuba pomp" and "arpeggiating synth" . It sets the template for many tracks: slow-building first halves giving way to euphoric conclusions . ### "Night and Day" The lead single serves as an "anti-anthem"—bombastic yet strange, with multiple choruses and that memorable spoken-word bridge. It's "harsher and more bombastic than the band's usual fare" . ### "Let Me Be Him" A nearly eight-minute epic that "takes Detroit House to church," featuring Hawaiian slide guitar and a hazy, drug-referencing outro that recalls The Beta Band . --- ## Influence and Legacy ### Critical Standing *In Our Heads* cemented Hot Chip's position alongside New Order and Pet Shop Boys as "one of this country's finest experimental electro-pop acts of the past few decades" . The album demonstrated that electronic music could accommodate sincere emotional content without sacrificing dancefloor functionality. ### Artistic Impact The album influenced subsequent indie-electronic artists by proving that: - Dance music could accommodate mature, relationship-focused lyrics - Retro influences (house, '80s pop) could be synthesized into contemporary sounds without mere pastiche - Album sequencing and pacing mattered even in electronic music The record also anticipated the wave of "yacht rock" revivalism and sophisticated pop that would follow from artists like Metronomy and Phoenix . --- ## Pros and Cons ### Strengths | Aspect | Assessment | |--------|------------| | **Consistency** | Arguably their most coherent album to date, with "every song radio-ready" meaning "every song is good" | | **Emotional Depth** | Successfully balances dancefloor urgency with sincere romantic lyricism | | **Production Polish** | Mature, confident sound that knows when to restrain and when to explode | | **Sequencing** | Expertly structured with strong opening and closing trios | | **Vocal Confidence** | Goddard's voice has "far more confident" presence; Taylor's delivery is more assured than ever | ### Weaknesses | Aspect | Assessment | |--------|------------| | **Occasional Overreach** | "Can a band have too many ideas? Yes"—tracks like "Don't Deny Your Heart" and "Now There Is Nothing" stray into "familiar overreaching, archness even" | | **Length** | At 57 minutes, some tracks ("Ends of the Earth," "Let Me Be Him") can feel protracted | | **Derivative Moments** | Some critics note the album risks being "overly derivative" with its many obvious influences | | **Inconsistent Energy** | "Night and Day" initially felt "cheap" compared to "Flutes," and the album has "moments of relative drag" | --- ## Conclusion *In Our Heads* represents Hot Chip operating at peak confidence. While it may not represent a radical departure from *One Life Stand*, it refines their formula into something more consistent and emotionally resonant. The album succeeds by embracing contradiction: it's dance music for thinking, music for clubs that works best in private contemplation, retro in influence yet contemporary in execution. The record suggests that Hot Chip's "masterpiece is still forthcoming" , but as a document of a band comfortable in their own skin—no longer the novelty act some dismissed them as in 2004—it's a significant achievement. For listeners seeking electronic music with heart, wit, and genuine emotional substance, *In Our Heads* remains essential listening.

I love hot chip so I was pleased to get to listen to this. It’s not one I’ve listened to before I don’t think and wasn’t my favourite although I did really enjoy ‘flutes’. I think as a band they deserve to be on here but not this album.

eminently danceable, and i seriously wish i was because this is great! i tend to have an allergic reaction to a lot of early 2010s edm, but the funk and disco inspirations here are just lovely. i can't really see how it's that influential of a record, given the stated goal of this list, but i really enjoyed the upbeat romanticism across this album. the complexity of the rhythms across tracks like "flutes", "night and day", or "ends of the earth" tickle my brain in all the right ways. it's electrifying. pretty much start to finish this is fantastic.

Overall, these are some very mild chips. It's summery and light, toe tapping radio music but not something I really want to sit down and devote my attention to. The kind of music you hear on a travel advert and go "huh this is okay". A lot of these songs are quite stationary though, and so they get old fast. "How Do You Do?" was the first time I felt that creeping feeling like the song needed a changeup somewhere in it that wasn't there. Their poppier songs remind me a bit of Okay Go, another band that ultimately makes me feel very tepid. Nothing here is BAD, but very little here made me feel much of anything. I guess I like Now There is Nothing. Big Shrug energy.

Wonderful techno funk I loved it

it was good. a couple of songs that kind of got stuck in my head. not sure i'll listen to it again.

Sort of a blend between lcd Soundsystem, cage the elephant, and generic club electronic beats. The first two aspects were exciting but the third dragged the album as a whole.

This made me want to listen to Erasure. So I did. 2.5

2010s electronica. Lovely, bright and poppy. Very light electronica.

I quite like Hot Chip but not much outstanding about this album really.

Hmm

Not my scene

Got this on vinyl by accident way back when from Vinyl Me Please. Never spent much time with it, but really good! 2010s indie version of Fleetwood Mac 70s pop meets Off The Wall/Thriller MJ. Even the Japanese bonus tracks are really good!

This was a solid album. Not normally a fan of this genre, but it was very palatable.

In Our Heads has a clear UK electronic feel, but it doesn’t leave a strong impression on me. Night and Day stands out for me, while the rest of the album feels easy to listen to but not very memorable.

Shit chip more like

Good stuff

Okayy

Clearly this album is triggering some nausea-inducing reflex that goes beyond rational response for me so I'll just note that all I hear is the worst of programmed synth boppy schlock like someone hit the funk preset on a 70's Yamaha home piano and a group of generic church choir members dropped over to add some soulless soul to these insipid lyrics, and just as I'm thinking is this a Christian rock band? the lyric on cue drops "A church is not for praying it's for celebrating the life that bleeds through the pain" and I take a second look at the album cover - stained glass, right?? And all I can hear is vague happy church band make-me-live-again messages in the rest of it, which I realize is totally inaccurate rationally, but too much chocolate over the Easter weekend maybe, and hey, even if it was Christian music what's wrong with that other than in this case all of the above? I'll give it a second listening in a year or two - if time's healed my ears and I'm hearing a 5 I'll make the edit. Barf.

Familiar with Hot Chip! But not with this album. This gave Talking heads vibes, but like more modern and more electronic pop than Talking Heads. They both just have this oddly quirky vibe to them, and sometimes they get too quirky to the point whete the music becomes not great lol. The song Day & Night gave those vibes to me... skipped on my 2nd and 3rd listen through. Solid otherwise! Let me Be Him was my fave on the album. 8/10

Not a fan of electronic but this was fun

once again an album which has no meaning on this list

Blind album and artist. I thought the synth melodies were kinda cool but can't carry the album as a whole.

Dancey and fun and really takes me back to being young and carefree in the 2010s. More of a solid 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it but does not feel the most definitive of that time period to me.

Un grupo de nivel y además con una carrera muy coherente, al regazo de nada menos que James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem). Pop de muchos quilates, house, synth-pop, electro e incluso R&B y sobre todo bien empleado y facturado. Motion Sickness es la canción que más me gusta, no solo del disco sino de ellos (ni Over And Over ni Ready For The Floor). How do you do? es pop con mayúsculas, al nivel de Pet Shop Boys. Otro sencillo, como Night & Day (este no me gusta nada, pero es un tema bastante bueno), fue Don´t deny your heart , con claras reminiscencias horteras y ochenteras (Vince Clarck , sin duda) que es lo que tendría que haber estado haciendo Madonna para seguir siendo relevante. These chains es muy, muy buena, con ecos de Arthur Russell y de los mejores PSB. Sigue la racha con Flutes, de lo mejor del álbum. En Now There Is Nothing pueden verse las influencias de un Paul McCartney más indietrónico (las de McCartney II). Ends of the Earth subre revoluciones de un modo muy interesante, y Let be him es otro gran tema. Cierran con Alway been your love, que no me convence demasiado. Si no es este disco que sea Made in the Dark o su grandes éxitos: Joy In Repetition

amazing

ugh

This album was interesting with its pop centric electro dance sounds.