Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Not a fan
Highlights: Motion Sickness and Flutes
Above average EDM dance music. Not my thing, but won't kill my verve.
Pretty bad
I was kind of drifting on this one at first, then “These Chains” came on and turned the whole album around for me. That was the point where it finally grabbed me. Before that I was starting to lose interest a little. “Night and Day” was a banger too. A lot of the album has that glossy electronic sound that reminded me of stuff you would hear on A State of Trance, which helped once it got rolling. Favorite song: "Night and Day"
Fairly solid electronic album. I wouldn't have any issue listening to this again.
This was my first time hearing Hot Chip, and I was completely blown away. The mix of sounds just does something to my. I immediately connected with it and felt the groove. I ended up replaying several tracks throughout the rest of the day. The vocal delivery is interesting and fits the aesthetic of the album perfectly. It confidently blends disco, synths, and indie elements, making it a sonically rich and consistent journey. The standout for me is “Look at Where We Are.” It stuck with me so much that I woke up the next day with it still playing in my head. I also really liked most of the album, with "Motion Sickness", "How Do You Do?" and "These Chains" as other highlights.
Nope
Danceable album. Very good. 3,5
One of those albums I should enjoy more, I typically enjoy albums that heavily use electronic components and blend it with indie rock. I heard moments that reminded me of LCD Soundsystem but without the same level of energy, other times where I was thinking Chromeo but not nearly as fun or smooth. It just never clicked for me and the mixing felt flat and the energy never felt to be anywhere near the level it needs to be. Also, often times the lyrics took me out of it with how lame they were, “Girl, let’s swing it, come on. I don’t got no ABBA, I don’t play no gabba, I like Zap not Zappa, so please quit your jobber jabber” ok dude… I thought I was being overly critical so I listened again and yea, this just isn’t good. 2 stars
I thought I would hate this one. As far as I knew Hot Chip were the guys who made a mid remix of City of Blinding Lights. However, this was a lot of fun. It's like a cross between Royksopp and Pet Shop Boys, both bands I enjoy a lot. It's not all electronic sounds either, but the usage of electronics just adds to the music. Great album, easy 4 stars.
Kind of liked it
No private session used for Spotify. Electronic music isn't normally my thing. I generally only like it there is something really interesting going on musically, there isn't anything going on that is interesting. It's bland as English cuisine. AI could have written all this crap, but it probably would have come up with more interesting lyrics. Excessive use of the word "baby" try using one of the computers you used to create this pile and look up synonyms for that word.
Dull. Sounds like the latest Kyle Sandilands discovery. I guess it’s good to make sure your skip button works. 1.5.
I've always had the thought that they spent too long listening to OMD. When they are good they are great such as Over and Over and Motion Sickness on this record. Other than that it is a bit samey. Pleasant but nothing exciting.
This is generally positive and upbeat 80s inspired synthpop. But, having been a teenager in the 1980s, there is not much here that would have cut through on 2SM Top 40 in 1983. Thom Gibbs described this is the NME as "Lively and upbeat, but naggingly sterile. Tasteful and perfectly executed, but workmanlike." I tend to agree. I think it might be the mix, compounded by the monochromatic vocal stylings, are letting them down. Everything is a bit flat and sterile. I'd love to hear a bit more aural energy and excitement. I don't hate this, but I am not enthused either. 2.5 stars, rounding up for being inoffensively tolerable.
Even though I enjoyed their big hit 'Over And Over' during what I perceived as their peak during the big landfill indie boom of the 2000s, I'm not sure who Hot Chip influenced in the grand scheme of things and I'm baffled by the inclusion. That being said, this was some damn catchy synth-pop. On an album full of earworms, 'Night And Day' might be the most infectious. With his weedy voice, the vocalist does get a touch irritating. This band doesn't sound like they stand for anything and their music doesn't have a lot to say, but it just wants to gets the listener moving and it does this rather successfully.
Not bad but nothing special either. Not sure why albums like this make the list. Especially considering how new it is compared to the rest.
Not the slightest idea who this is. I’m buckling in at 11pm. Love! Mellow a lot of times in a way that removes the barrier to entry I usually feel with electronic music. Look at where we are. Will watch the tiny desk.
Sounds transcendent on vinyl
Once again, not a genre I really like or listen to. I don't hate this but it doesn't do a lot for me. I don't really consider this album or even this band "essential" listening, but maybe I'm just not British enough. I did actually see part of these guys' set at Bonnaroo but I remember almost nothing about it or them. In my defense, it was nearly 20 years ago. I liked "Look At Where We Are" OK, probably because it has discernible guitars. This would get 2.5 from me. It was OK.
This was a lot more fun and interesting than I was expecting it kind of had an indie EDM mashup vibe. That’s actually right up my alley and I very much appreciated it. I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting.
Band good, album soso
I actually really like the genres and styles this album is categorized under. That’s why I was curious to see what I’d hear. Maybe there’s a reason I’ve never heard of this band before. I found the whole thing pretty boring, though. I probably won’t actively listen to it again. 3/5
The vibe is dance pop synth 80s, not the worst album I’ve ever heard, but I won’t listen to it again unless I have to
Better than conldplay
The microwave popcorn of music. Not very good and leaves you wishing for better popcorn.
Good production and vibes. Lyrically weak. Similar to tame impala. Few weaker songs. Flutes was my favourite
Toed the line of awful
idk what this is man
groovy but tortured
2.25. It isn’t as repetitive as some of the other synt/electronica on this list so far but it also doesn’t really feel like anything at all
I have never heard of this band. I had to double check the year (2012) because it sounded like an 80s or 90's album. I found this quite enjoyable.
The first Hot Chip album I didn't buy when it came out. There was no particular reason, so interested in hearing this. Yes, it is very good. Lacks some of the more immediately satisfying tracks from the previous albums. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? Some Owned: No 58/233 (24%) Will I get:
I’d never heard of this band before, but they didn’t disappoint. A bit like the Pet Shop Boys, a bit eighties… I thought they sounded pretty good 😊
I was kinda surprised I liked this. It’s got this electronic beat. The singers voice is….okay? It could use some work, but not bad. The album itself is this Synth pop album. Not bad.
This is enjoyable... but is the band friends with the author of the 1001 project?! Why is this here? "Enjoyable" isn't enough to be considered an albums I must listen to before I die. For reference, In Our Heads received *generally* positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 40 reviews. This is hardly high praise. And in England, their home country, this album only made it to #14 on the charts. Not that charts are everything (see The Velvet Underground as a counterexample) but in general, they usually say something worthwhile. I see that this was the #1 dance album in multiple countries, including the US. Maybe that's why it's here? But even as far as dance music goes, it's not special. It's good, but not great. It's enjoyable, but it doesn't belong here. 2 stars.
Fun!
awesome
(3/7) music for retail shopping in a store that sells weird clothes
I think its slightly unfair for me to rate this one - I'm a huge Hot Chip fan. I don't think this is their best work, but this album summarises the band the best out of anything else. Great work boys, keep it up x
This was pretty good. I'd never heard of them before this album popped up in the list. I found myself enjoying most of it. Kinda what I was hoping a lot of the albums on this list were gonna be...new music to me that I liked.....unfortunately it's rare that something like that happens!
"Hey lets start an 80's band but try really hard to miss the 80s vibe" this band, prolly
This album is fine, though it doesn't even include their banger "Over and Over". It's electronic music for people who are a tad scared to tackle anything that might be a bit more challenging. Fair enough, nothing wrong with that, but there's nothing on here that you need to hear before you die. There are hooks but nothing special; it's all easily digestible. No need for this to be on the list. Best Tracks: Motion Sickness; Look At Where We Are; Flutes
não esperava nada e entregou td. 10/10
2.5 I have definitely given them time, they’ve featured on the college radio that I’ve listened to for decades. But a lot whole album is samey, and I think they hold onto this sound throughout? Some of it works, but it gets muddy
I like the cover, 2000s indie vibes. Look at where we are has dub influences
2.5 - This is fine, but it feels out of place on this list.
Love The Chip.
It's a good listen though to be honest I'm not sure it's Hot Chip's best record. In this case that probably says as much about the strength of the band's output as it does about the list. Hidden depths; up to us to find them.
I feel like I'm listening to the soundtrack to a FIFA game.
Didn't think much of it. A bit electro, but not in a cool way. More of a plinky-plonky way.
It was ok.
I vaguely knew, or had heard, the name Hot Chip before. It had me worried that they were responsible for one of those unforgivably awful cutesy pop songs of the noughties - Fascination, That's Not My Name, the sort of song which should have been blocked at Inception. But I don't think it's them. Instead, they turned out to be a less interesting, less good version of The Delays. While Faded Seaside Glamour is a must listen, five star album, this is a fine, straight down the middle three star slice of pop rock. I can think of no reason why this is on the list, beyond recency bias.
This album is soooo 2012 (I don't think it's in a good way).
It was fine. Nothing I ever need to hear again. There’s much better Indie Rock music out there. It was kind of boring.
It's not bad. I don't mind like electro rock. Not as good as I had hoped though. Vocals are not the best.
Not their best Album, but a solid Indie-Dance record. Not a Great great fan of the Voice and some synths. Fav: Flutes
I was distinctly unimpressed on first listen but this really grew on me second time round. I think it benefitted from a louder volume and a bigger space, gave the music more room to shine I guess. I enjoyed it but nothing particularly stood out. A grower. 3.5 rounding up because I’m having a bad run lately
Fuck, these guys are geniuses
# Album Name: In our heads # Artist: Hot chip # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: I thoroughly enjoyed this album. Some nice electronic-synth vibes. Not quite sure why its on the list tbh though. # Top Tunes: Moption sickness / how do you do / where we are / flutes / end of the eart # Would I listen to it again? Yes
3.75 Great for running and completing tasks
I enjoyed the production value of this album. This was a new genre, but I am excited to hear more.
i dont mind it too much!
Wasn’t my fav but flutes was a great track.
Rv
całkiem zacne. Na 4.
Wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but it's groovy. I'll definitely be listening to more of their albums. I'll give this a 4.
I read electronic music in the description and instantly went in hating it…. To my surprise I low key loved it. Great album to be productive too.
This was thoroughly enjoyable.
Now this is some synth noodling
This was some good fun
Nope
Safe and squeaky clean. Sometimes to a fault. I'm not mad at any part of this album, but I'm certainly not inspired, moved, or overly impressed. What does frustrate me is the context of this albums addition, and the omission of a whole genres worth of music. In the states, EDM and electro-pop we're absolutely running wild at the time of this albums release. Like, 2012 specifically was a generational year. Yet there's just none of that on here. It was such a distinct sound and period of time, it was so pervasive at least in the states, surely it was around the world too. Sadly I will not remember a song from this project. They're all one homogenized safety blanket. Put it on in a department store and go next 2/5 I'd rather listen to aged, dated, cheesy music from 2012 that had some real intensity to it
Freitagmorgen-Aufwach-Backgroundmusik. Als solche nicht schlecht.
A perfectly ok dance-ish pop album. It’s not bad, but I don’t think deserves a spot on the list. Yet another British band/artist getting placed here for the authors apparent geographical bias
Wow that was boring! No way this belongs on this list.
A begrudging 4 - I really liked some songs! Generally not well-made as an album, however.
Superb
Having heard a song of Hot Chip's from an earlier album, my main question going into this album was whether it would be style over substance. The short answer, as I was to discover, was yes. This album is essential electropop made by urban-dwelling people in their 20s who wear glasses and want to get laid for other urban-dwelling people in their 20s who wear glasses and want to get laid. Being more into guitar music, the only song that stood out to me was Look At Where We Are. It had a catchier chorus and a slightly different sound than the generic techno beats but also that annoying squeaky voice that musical artists sometimes use. I've never quite understood the appeal of having Alvin and his chipmunk friends as backing vocalists but maybe something out there enjoys it. Perhaps those urban-dwelling people in their 20s who wear glasses and want to get laid.
Very fun very neat i see myself listening to this lots
It had played through and started again without me even noticing which says a lot! Nothing wrong with it per se but didn’t grab me by the ears and make me listen!
New to me and seems to be heavily influenced by 80s synth-pop. Yet it feels a bit over-produced. Still likeable.
We have Phoenix at home and I like it more
Really liked Flutes and The Chains. Others neither stood out nor offended
Really liked “Flutes” and “Let Me Be Him.” Others are background music in a good way. This got close to a 4 but not quite there for me
🎧Pretty mixed bag here
Fun
I can't really put into words how I felt about this, but it was rather ambivalent. Decently high highs, moderately low lows, but nothing exceptional.
The Good: We get hot chips with dip… we hope! The Bad: The chips are bland… The Ugly: The mold on the dip… Never heard of this band before, probably because I am no big fan of EDM and when this album came out I was more busy with other things… Reading the commentaries, I have to agree that this album might have made a little more impact had it been released 30 years sooner… hence the mold on the dip… what? I have to explain my stupid humor now too? Anyway, never going to listen to this again, though I did have to play the first two songs again to see if, maybe, I was going to change my mind as to what score I would give this album… 2* for not sucking massively
I don't want to say that this album does NOT belong on a list of 1001 albums I had to hear before I die, because what I've discovered as I have passed the 500 album mark is that after a a certain point (my own guess would be about 200), the selection process becomes so random and/or subjective that blindfolding 800 or so monkeys and having them stick pins into a gigantic list of every album ever released is likely to produce results just as valid as what appears on the actual list. If you listen to the tracks on YouTube, there are a couple of pretty interesting videos at least.
What 5 years without new Daft Punk did to a motherfucker
Eat hot chip and lie
hello??
I’m honestly offended that out of all the electronic albums there are this is what is included in this list? The songs I enjoyed ended up being my favorites are all the more stripped back songs (These Chains, Let Me Be Him). There was also nothing vocally impressive about this album.
I'm not sure I like electronic rock more than I like normal electronic music. In our increasingly digital world it feels like everything is being made with machines, computers, etc. Am I a cumurdgeon? I suppose.
Irgendwie ist hier die the Police review doppelt eingepackt worden. Daher hab Edith für mich kurz angemacht. Kann mich aber nicht mehr an die ursprüngliche review erinnern und auch an keine Textzeile. Sagt aber eigentlich alles über das Album. Völlig an mir vorbeigezogen und nix hängen geblieben. Notabable Textzeile
Hm, fand die früher immer ganz cool, aber irgendwie belanglos. Stimmt immer noch.
Die 80s waren doch 80s genug - warum kalte Suppe nochmal aufwärmen? Die Synthesizer, die! Erinnert mich alles an "Pop Goes My Heart" aus dem Film mit Hugh Grant (this is not a compliment).
I enjoyed this more than my 3 rating indicates. It was fun and catchy. I just don't care for the repetitive nature of some of the songs.
started out pretty good, but i got a bit bored of it. also didn't looove the singer's voice
The kind of album you hear at the Millennial Burger Joint (TM). It's glorified elevator music at best which isn't a bad thing. Making small talk on your way up to the 6th floor needs a backing track and what better artist to do that than Hot Chip. Milk and crumpets with any seasoning kept far far away. I genuinely got so bored listening to this album that I had to take a break multiple times in order to actually digest this coconut water puddle of an album. Genuinely one of the most uninteresting albums I've ever listened to. 1/10
I never gave this record a chance back in the day, but hearing it now, maybe more mature, definitely older, I can see why a subset of the indie crowd loved it. It has some good songs but I can feel it's a bit overlong.
Uhm, it’s alright I suppose. Generally fun, but also kinda boring at the same time. Stand-outs - These Chains - Flutes
I enjoyed this a lot. I enjoyed the balance between good beats that were catchy but chill. Way better than I thought it would be. Might listen again.
Unoriginal, run of the mill, good for exercise I suppose.
expecting: instrumental background music got: fun music with words Unexpectedly liked this quite a bit, added several songs to the rotation. Quite liked Now There is Nothing, Where we Are, and Night & Day.
I like this enough to think that one day I will think to myself "I should put on Hot Chip while I work today"
I used to really like Hot Chip - and I would score the two prior albums: Made in the Dark and One Life Stand - both 5's if they were on this list as they are jam packed with great tunes. This album marked where I started to loose interest in them. It feels much weaker than the prior albums and lacks the hooks and magic.
In Our Heads This is strongly tied to memories of living in Mile End and the summer of 2012 Olympics, I listened to this a lot back then, but not as much recently. It's still great though. It starts off brilliantly - Motion Sickness, How Do You Do, Don’t Deny Your Heart are all superb. Motion Sickness builds brilliantly, a great opener. How Do You Do is great synth-disco-pop and Don’t Deny Your Heart is just a joyously infectious bit of 80s flecked pop, with hints of early Whitney. Those three songs are my standouts, but it maintains a great base level of quality, even if it doesn’t necessarily reach the heights of that opening triptych. These Chains has a great nagging propulsion and a great synth bass line, Night and Day is a bit of a banger, Flutes’ pulsing, cascading feel is fantastic, and Always Been Your Love is a lovely bit of keening synth pop. It’s interesting, they obviously have a degree of 2010s hipsterness about them, but they are very grounded in traditional pop structures - even though they are electronic and synth based, their songs often feel like a transposition of the structures of traditional 4 piece band with bass, rhythm and lead all played on synth (with actual guitars on top too) Despite this being a great album, I don’t quite think it’s a 5, it has a couple of moments of relative drag to it, so I’ll go for a high 4. 🍟🍟🍟🍟 Playlist submission: Don’t Deny Your Heart
A curious mix of house, 90s dance and introspection, more often than not this works very well. The album undulates from house-influenced examples of sophisticated layering, to introspective or quasi-cheesy tracks. Ignoring the Calvin Harris-presaging 'These Chains', I was rather taken with it. A very strong outing from the lads.
7/10
Nice upbeat sound, and music. Thanks for the introduction.
I find most synth-pop pretty thin but take out the vocals and this could be fucking hold music.
Not my favorite album so far but nowhere near the worst, either. Dig three tracks enough to add them to my likes. Solid 3/5
Pas dégueu, mais assez pour un 4
There was a lot of great music being made in 2010. No idea why this pablum is on the list.
Opener was a really great song that I thought would set the tone. It's clear that these guys don't do ballads really well. The lyrics were kind of distractingly bad, as well. The entire thing is pretty generic following that opener, too. I didn't hate what I was listening to but was very unimpressed.
-Fun, synth dance rock/pop of the 00s and 2010s. I wasnt huge into them specifically but I retain an affinity for this genre of music, it just sounds like 2012 to me.... You kinda had to be there, I guess but the millennial nostalgia is strong. I'll go strong 3 because I need to be more discerning with my 4s, but this is a good album.
Sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
Not every track's a winner but the bangers are bangers
Few misses but enjoyable overall
Flumes makes me want to abuse my body. When they're good, they're amazing. Cba with a lot of the slower stuff
Now we're talking! Some of this album is undoubtedly crap, but the good tunes are some of the best electronic pop music ever committed to record. Night and Day makes me yearn for my twenties, Flutes makes me want to consume enough MDMA to permanently alter the global economy
3.5
2.5
I like this album a lot more than I really probably should especially for a modern synth pop. Honestly when this album first started I thought I was going to be writing it a bit higher than were it landed. The first three songs I absolutely enjoyed. But it seemed to be somewhat diminishing returns from there on, but it never actually really fell off the cliff it just kind of chilled on the fire just a bit. This is definitely one of those where the more '80s it sounded the more I liked it. Some of the songs give me a great Erasure feel and some almost like a happier Depeche Mode feel not necessarily the Vince Clark era, but like a cheerier Gahan & Gore Compsition. (8.5) ★★★★
Some okay songs, but too much synths and 80s inspiration. 3 stars
This brand of synthpop isn't really my thing. I think the opening track is pretty cool and there's a few other solid tunes like "Flutes", but most of the time it feels like a brand of 80s synthpop I feel sounds kind of cheesy. 3 stars.
3.5
Doesn’t have any all-timer bangers the size of Over & Over, Boy From School or Ready For The Floor but this is still very much something of a Hot Chippy tour de force. Kind of a New Order Technique situation where there is no one true classic essential song of theirs but it’s still the band in their virtual prime and might even be their most consistently ace n slappin’ throughout. Starts off in perfect epic fashion with Motion Sickness which is a cool whacky epic opener that has whirring high-pitched Bugs Bunny bibidbidi lip noises that give way at the end like the sirens in Karma Police. Don’t Deny Your Heart is super strong day glo 80s pop with yummy and intense Steve Winwood Valerie/Scritti Politti flavours. Lead single Night And Day is a mega skewiffy acid-drenched dance barnstormer that sounds like a wonky Moloko with reconstituted vocal bits from Sing It Back and Day For Night. Let Me Be Him is the penultimate song and a worthy pinnacle of the album - very towering and anthemic and soundwise has future echos of Head Full Of Dreams era Coldplay. Overall, album’s a very good ‘un. Definitely belongs in a list of 1001 Chips To Check Out Before You Die along with Fish n Chips, Goodbye Mr Chips, Biff, Chip & Kipper, Mr Chips from Catchphrase, Kettle Chips and Chip’s Challenge.
One of the big issues with the 1001 list is that when it's come to revising the list, there's both a bit of a recency bias and an unwillingness to question long-standing inclusions. It means you get a fair few post-2000s albums that exist on the list for just one edition before making way for something else. Not only that but there very inclusion even a year out seems questionable. In Our Heads by Hot Chip is a perfect example of this. It is by no means a bad album. It's decent. Even fun in places. But it's by no means the best Hot Chip album, or even a particularly notable indie-electronic album. It just so happens that it was a pretty recent example of both when it came time to revise the book in 2014.
Didn't think I would like this reading the description, but was pretty good background music for an hour. Most of the songs sounded the same. 3/5
Hot Chip is always a good listen
Early millennial synth pop.
1 stern
Not as good as the warning but an enjoyable listen
My spice tolerance is pretty good so how hot could this chip be?
I think at this point (700 albums in and probably a couple dozen British electronic albums), all Brit pop/electronic will get one star. I’ll try them, at least briefly, but honestly, I have yet to find one even bearable. This one is no different. No worse, but no better, either.
Groovy stuff on this one. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m higher than a 5, but I don’t think I’m QUITE at a 10. I’m shockingly close though. I had a feeling this would be a little more unique than “synthpop” of the early 2010s would describe, but I wasn’t expecting to feel that enthralled by all of the tracks here. This is masterfully done stuff, updating the production styles of the 1980s with more modernized synths, blending them with a touch of William Orbit-esque electronica, & coating them in a similar sort of paint as MGMT. All together, it creates an eclectic type of indie rock that I’ve never really heard come out of this era, & while some may dismiss it as overly derivative, I think it’s just catchy as a motherfucker, man. I dreaded this album’s length going into it, but the way each soundscape builds up & naturally progresses over time makes these tracks fly by far quicker than expected, making the 57 minute runtime here feel half as long. A lot of that comes down to two things: really strong instrumentation (duh), & a really good vocal performance, complimented by some well-written lyrics across the board here. These aren’t flowery, thankfully; they’re just there to capture the mood, with some occasionally really strong lines that just sell the track as fruitfully as possible. “Ends of the Earth”, for example, has the line “I just want you to feel the belief of a man”, and that struck me REALLY nicely. Not the touch, not the love, not anything else – just the BELIEF alone should be enough of a plea to bring back this relationship, and it sells the slightly somber & desperate tone of the track just as much as the synths do. This album is scattered with lines like that, but this album works just as well if you don’t catch a single one of them, mostly because the instrumentals are THAT damn good. Granted, I wouldn’t say this album has one specific super standout track (though “Don’t Deny Your Heart” comes damn close), & I do think that lack of a really timeless track that stands on its own merits, without feeling like a throwback, is what’s keeping me from going at a full blown 10 here. It makes up for that by being at a really consistently high bar of quality, and one that it never goes lower than an inch from. Believe me, this is a great album. I think it’s the only album where comparisons to Portal 2, Fatboy Slim, William Orbit, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, the Pet Shop Boys, Justin Timberlake, Prince, Capital Cities, the Beatles, Porter Robinson, Lionel Richie, Hall & Oates, the Police & Steely Dan are somehow all warranted at the same time. Yes, I did somehow write down references to all of those artists while listening, which isn’t really doing wonders for the whole “derivative” thing, but I think it says something that they were able to capture all of those vibes at points throughout the album. It’s got great variety behind it, and that variety keeps the album a lot fresher than it has any right to be. I think it’s wonderfully produced, composed & performed. I’m really glad it’s on the list, because I don’t think I would’ve ever found it otherwise. It’s certainly higher than a 5, and hell, maybe one day, one of these tracks will feel “timeless” enough to me to bump it up to a 10. I really, really enjoyed this one.
Cool sounds but not sure if I’d go back to them a lot 3
I like hot chip. Chilled electro pop kinda. Nothing special (probs not top 1000 albums ever) but its decent and I have a soft spot for them. 3.5
Hot chip have always been one I felt like I should give some time so glad this came up, lovely listen
I was teetering between a 3 and a 4 for this one, but went with a 4 because I kept finding myself moving to the music while I was listening. This album was the perfect fusion of indie and electronic, I found it to be pretty ear-catching. The good moments on this album were fantastic, but there were a couple lulls for me in the middle of the album.
Remember When People Thought The World Was Round? 1001 Albums Generator 215 (1/28/2025) In Our Heads is an album I have never heard of from a band that I have never heard of. Honestly, the band name Hot Chip had me a bit worried, but these worries were distilled quite quickly as Motion Sickness started. This is indietronica with heavy emphasis on the -tronica. Other indietronica I've heard, like LCD Soundsystem and Underscores, tends to really be indie rock music with some electronic textures and elements on top. And I love that stuff, but In Our Heads is something different. Hell, Night And Day is basically a rave track. Flutes builds up on almost entirely electronic textures, but is also so beautiful. The other 7 minute tune, Let Me Be Him, is also pretty, especially with the slide guitar at the end. A couple of silly points in the tracklist aside (How Do You Do? and Now There Is Nothing), I found In Our Heads to be a joy to listen to, front to back, in spite of its slightly intimidating length. 4/5. Favs: Motion Sickness Night And Day Flutes Least Fav: Now There Is Nothing
Dope
eat hot chip & lie i feel like a lot of the song start terrible but turn into something great near the end. a little mixed, but i enjoyed more the most of the forgotten early 2010s pitchfork bait indie music
it was fun! nothing stood out to me but it was a fun time
Cool instrumentation hampered by a samey, uninteresting vocal performance that is very much a product of its time. This particular subcategory of the über broad “alternative” genre feels very much not for me. And of course they’re fucking British. I dunno. It’s like trying to be Daft Punk, Passion Pit, Two Door Cinema Club, and The xx all at once. I don’t feel convinced. It doesn’t weave any of those threads particularly well, but I could see the appeal for people who want alt music that sounds sort of like soft house music.
This is what people eat when they lie? wild. i enjoyed this much more than i thought i would. i almost gave up when i saw "british electronic music" but i'm glad i didn't. it was a lot of fun!
Really really enjoyed about 95% of this one. I was in the flow state until Now There Is Nothing, which I didn’t hate, but it ended what had previously been a 5 star run. A pleasant surprise overall. 4.5
Accidentally had Repeat turned on so it cycled through about 1.5x times. I wasn’t bothered by this, so that’s good. But I also didn’t notice that I’d literally just listened to it so that’s less good.
highly enjoyed this project, lots of flair and good electronic music. Would I listen again: yes Deserves to be on this list: yes 4.2
Honestly a lot of bangers, great beats. Good listen. Some hits. Knew some of their stuff already but makes me wanna check out more.
Not a great album but hated less than I thought
Dit is echt een sound die alleen maar door upperclass Britse gasten in 2006 gemaakt kan worden. Beetje nikszeggend. Vraag me af waar de keuze voor dit album in deze lijst op gebaseerd is. Niet gebaseerd in ieder geval.
Mijn enjoyment van de plaat varieerde echt enorm. Sommige nummers was ik echt blij verrast hoe lekker het ging, om vervolgens 3 nummers compleet uit te zonen. Wel een wat lange tracklisting, maar opzich best een aardige plaat
Somehow vermoeiend om naar te luisteren. Zangstem is niet fijn om te horen. Deze band klinkt als een ongeïnspireerde samenkomst van al hun invloeden
Okee het album was te lang, maar eerlijk vond het echt best leuk. Ben echt niet van de eleltronische muziek maar dit was heel vrolijk en ging er dus verrassend goed op
Luisterbare popliedjes in een Britse indie-elektronica jas. Niet heel exciting, maar ook zeker niet slecht. Betere vocals hadden misschien wel geholpen. Edit: dit duurt echt een kwartier langer dan het had moeten duren. En dan zijn er ook nog dotan-achtige gang vocals achterop de plaat. -1
The British slant to this entire list is wearing on me. "One of Britain's most beloved electronic bands..." is how the write up begins. I've tried them in the past, just never stuck. The album has a ton of listens on Spotify, with the weakest song still getting over 1.5M listens. It's all pleasant but it all kind of sounds the same. Nothing groundbreaking, no radio hits (in the US at least), VERY average vocals, it sounds a bit dated 15 yrs later (sounds late 90's), decent beats but just nothing special. "Don't Deny Your Heart" and "These Chains" blow. "Look At Where We Are" (18M listens) is nice, mellow, but I'll likely never listen to it again. "Night And Day" was just annoying. "Flutes" is the 'hit' at 29M listens - again, very average, I didn't enjoy the 7 minutes of overkill though. "Now There Is Nothing" is a painfully bad McCartney imitation. I was tired at the end of the final song, it was a struggle to get through. Try Deathcab For Cutie if you want drone vocals with more of a hook and less reliance on keyboard melody's that gets looped until you can't take it anymore. 2 stars and that's generous. I'm glad I don't live in England and am forced to listen to all these average bands who everyone loves but actually suck.
Had never heard of this group, pretty good! Solid 3.
Enjoyed this album’s offerings
Lots of good fun tracks - I don't love the vocals but that's just me.
Nope
meh, always been your love was alright
Alternative, nice album
Twas okay
Ehh not a fan at all. Just boring and uninspiring
znowu pozycja z elektronicznego genre, in our heads z 2k12, pierwsze slysze o londynskich hot chipsach, ale wyglada na piecio osobowy band, ktory gra bardzo popowo przy synthowo elektronicznym akompaniamencie, chociaz pewnie to jakies niszowe odmiany ele sa, bo brzmia bardzo indyjsko i pasowaloby to do stylistyki ich muzyki, ktora jest zupelnym przeciwienstwem pozycji z wczoraj, wiec granie jest cieple, proste, rytmiczne, takie czuj dobrze czlowiek, to dobre czucie slysze zwlaszcza na wokalach, wydaje mi sie, ze przez godzine odsluchu przewijaly sie dwa glowne glosy oraz jakies dodatkowe wstawki, ale jest to jeden z tych albumikow ktory dobrze sie slucha, ale czlowiek nie umie powiedziec co sie tak naprawde w nim podobalo czy nie podobalo, czy moze zwyczajnie bylem dzisiaj w nastroju na pozytywne wibracje bez powodu, na plejke dodam zamykajacy always been your love
98/1001 First listen. Nothing is catching my ear on this one. Unremarkable. Unmemorable. 4/10
I can imagine really enjoying this on a dance floor. But I couldn’t decide which song to add to my playlist because they all had the same exact vibes. I finally chose “Let Me Be Him”.
very groovy 80s type album 7/10
Alright, though not one of their better records on first listen
Liked it but didn’t love it. It’s a little long and overstretched. But it’d be great to throw on at a party: it’s a buoyant, feel-good listen. Lovely electronic instrumentation.
esto es increible. podes imaginar a cualquier chabon sacado bailando esto en una disco.
“Look at Where We Are” and “Flute” stand out, but the rest didn’t hit as hard. Disc 2 of the Expanded Edition clicked more for me.
Hot Chip once caused us to crash our car. Well, "crash" is a an exaggeration, but we did hit a rock with our wheel, burst a tyre, crack an alloy and have to be towed back home. We still blame Hot Chip because we were blasting "Over and Over" in the car when it happened. That tune was so good that it caused an accident. Out of curiosity I looked up Hot Chip's listing in 1001, and was very surprised to see that this is the only album on the list. No sign of "The Warning" or "Made In the Dark". Those albums were the soundtrack to a specific time in our twenties. Songs like "Careful", "Boy from School", "Out at the Pictures", and of course "Over and Over" soundtracked house parties and road trips aplenty. I wasn't too familiar with "In Our Heads". It starts off very strongly with "Motion Sickness". Hot Chip always do great openers. "Flutes" is another really great song, reminding me of Hot Chip's heyday. But the rest of the album is... fine. It's decent enough, and there are moments that are great, but if I'm honest, it's a struggle not to glaze over and lose attention. Outside of the two songs I mentioned, there's just not anything particularly mind-blowing. Definitely not music that would cause a car crash.
Just more mediocre British music.
One of the best albums so far that I listened to from here
Not my bag
The vibe I get from this album is like “what if a band was made up on electronica musicians who just love to make their uni professors proud by using new instrumentation in synths and vocal effects live”. It’s good but it feels like what rock guys would like in an electronic album, which as an electronic fan I often find to be kinda lame at times.
I'm staggered why this album is on the list, because I don't really feel the significance of this album when listening to it. Is it that distinct synth sound that is why, or how it is arranged, because there really isn't much that is mindblowing? Something like LCD Soundsystem actually creates a lot more variance throughout and pushes the electronica genre forward, but this really doesn't. It really suffers from a repetitive sound, a bit more than a lot of the genre. Not really a fan.
Yeaahh, fun stuff.
I cant quite click with hot chip. Nice sounding album though
Pretty good album, sometimes it shows its age in some of the sound selections but not bad by any measure. Some moments are richly layered and I enjoy the the mixture of introspective and sweet melodies with the synth pop backdrop. At times I wish the production had more punch and wasn't so polite. But overall pretty good
Sure
Started off better than I expected. I liked the variation from song to song. But after the mid point, each song quickly became internally repetitive. If the songs were each about 60-90 seconds shorter, I would consider rating this four. But I started to fall asleep by the end of it due to the repetition.
good, but not great. No highlights.
Pretty good, but not anything incredible. Will not re listen, but enjoyed
Surprised by this one.
Decent, well-produced synthpop album with personality. Sometimes relies a little too heavily on predictable chord progressions and familiar arpeggios, though. Also lacks a standout track like "Over And Over" or "Ready For The Floor".
No
Fantastic
I don’t remember Hot Chip being so technoy. They combine indie with techno really well. My biggest issue is the singing style starts to get a bit repetitive, especially when some of the songs are 5 minutes plus and repeat the same lines over and over. Still pretty solid. 7/10
I am done with these types of albums being on this list. These types of bands do not seem to have real musical talent.
Rather baffling
These little wankers have nothing important to say, nothing important to contribute musically, and frankly just wasted 56 minutes of my life. This was kinda just trash.
so this came out in 2012? huh, could have fooled me-sounds like early 80's techno. boring.
Like it 3/5
I've heard some of Hot Chip's later stuff and had their two most popular songs on my Liked songs playlist, but I had never listened to an album all of the way through. I'm so glad that I did! This is the kind of music that touches all of the things I love: pop, beats, electronic sounds, random bird noises, thoughtful and repetitive lyrics. Dopamine hit after dopamine hit. I added a bunch of songs to various playlists so I can listen to them Over and Over and Over and Over.
When I give myself context for albums like these, outside my musical wheelhouse, I tend to enjoy them more deeply. Context here made it a much more cathartic experience. It’s playful, fun, and all over the sounds. Cool stuff for an afternoon car drive bouncing through the cosmos.
Fell asleep
I can't be the only one who googled the top review for this album, found out it is some kind of meme, but still don't understand. Hopefully tomorrow I get Rumours so I can return to my comfort zone. It was interesting listening to an album that is so unabashedly pop, yet as a North American, I have never heard a single one of these songs before. They slide off my brain pleasantly but I'll never listen again.
eh... I feel like this sounded very generic with not a lot of real hooks or substance. I forgot I was even listening to this in the middle. 2/5
Opening lyrics: "Remember when people thought the world was round?" Me, immediately: haha I'm in danger No but seriously, this whole thing was a pleasant surprise, on the whole. I always hate to see the "electronica" tag turn up because most of the time I can't stand that shit (sorry)—but this is one of the times it works okay for me. Still not exactly my thing, necessarily, but I didn't rush to shut the music off when the last track finished and we looped back to the start of the album. I'd listen to it again tomorrow without complaint. 👍
Overall: 6/10 Nothing overly impressive, but a decent album nonetheless. I could see myself really enjoying this if it was played at a party. Is it really that noteworthy and important of an album to include here though? I don't really think so. The 2010's was actually a pretty good decade for music and this isn't the best that the decade had to offer. Fav Song: Night and Day
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Some solid music.
Totally new band to me and I was impressed from the very start. I felt the album did start dragging a bit a few tracks in, but still this has been a pleasant discovery for me.
My Thoughts on a couple of the songs: Motion Sickness: Very catchy, but I don't remember the song after the first listen... weird. How Do You Do?: Pretty good. Chorus is really cool and nice sound selection and little shimmers of instruments every now and then. Love the little wood block on the back left, really makes you wanna dance. Dont Deny Your Heart: WTF is that vocal at the start? instantly interesting. Chord Progression in the verse/prechorus is cool. weirdly dark and then directly into that major tone. These Chains: Had me hooked after the first drum hit, can they keep it up? - Yes, they can. nice song and really vibe-y drums. The Bass line could definitely be stolen for a melodic techno song. that would be awesome. The album in and of itself as a whole is good but nothing to spectacular or anything too groundbreaking for the Electronic genre. It is very 80s inspired and tries to stay true to that theme, almost a bit too true. I liked alot of the songs and some of them were added to the playlist, but other than that it is not something I would go out of my way to buy.
I used to like Hot Chip many years ago before I really started getting more into electronic music. I haven't listened to them in a long time so I was excited to give this album a listen today. I ended up not really liking it very much! It feels like pretty generic electronic music meant for the mainstream and I really don't like the vocals. There are a few solid songs on here though and I didn't necessarily dislike it, I just didn't love it. Flutes is good.
I liked this. I didn't love it. I wonder if I need to spend more time with it to really get to that point. I don't really gravitate towards electric stuff like this, but I'm definitely not against it. Its kind of fun indie pop.
Well produced synth-pop album that has some genuine bangers. Never heard of this guys. A little odd sounding at times. But usually great stuff. I will say however, this record was absolutely embarassing to listen to in front of other people. I'm not sure why, but the feeling was visceral.
Pass.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
It wasn't a bad album, but I can't say much about it, as I have no opinion about this synth pop album. It was kind of background music, simplistic and forgettable. The album cover is really nice.
Bang average alt rock i guess
Definition of meh
they suck
Listened to this one a few times in the background over break and wasn't really moved by the experience. In any case, keeping an open mind, I'll give it another go... This whole synth-heavy electro-funk sound reminds me quite a bit of Glass Animals. And just as with Glass Animals I find when the music connects, it is great, but when it doesn't it feels somehow "thin." Motion Sickness is a tad boring in structure, but is a fine enough opener. Definitely a song that builds over its playtime. I can't explain why, but something about the singer's tone makes this hard to take completely seriously. Like I enjoy How Do You Do, but can't fully engage. Look At Where We Are is a very solid song. Night And Day is a fun little dancy number. My overall take is this was just okay. I enjoyed aspects in isolation, but something about the whole packaging doesn't quite work for me and I can't put a finger on why that is. And with that, I'll call this a 3.
This is a pretty solid electronica album and right up my alley of favorite type of music. It perfectly encapsulates that early 2010s indie synth pop sound ala Phoenix, MGMT. Didn't knock my socks off, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. Soft 4.
Looking at the album genre on the Wikipedia I was excited to give this one a listen. This album absolutely blew away all of my expectations of excitement going into it. I think this has become my favorite type of music over the last couple of years especially recently with the introduction of LCD Soundsystem. Every song on here was just an absolute bop. Definitely knew Let Me Be Him, that backing vocal chanting noise is so memorable. Adding this band to my Must Listen to More of List and this album is a slam dunk 5 from the beginning to end.
This is definitely groovy af. I've been bopping to all the songs so far and really loving These Chains right now. Definitely getting some LCD vibes from them but a bit more melancholy. Flutes was fun af! Ends of the Earth is also a jam. Honestly that entire album was a vibe and I dig it. Very dance-y. Also makes sense it sounded similar to LCD it has one of the guys from it in it. This straddles a 4/5 for me and I had this at a 5, but then I listened again last night and something doesn't sit right for me, so I'm going high 4.
How Do You Do and Flutes were both excellent songs, the album had a good cohesive sound too. I would put it under electronic music.
Solid album. Synths on this album play a huge part and I prefer it more than kraftwerk. Still suffers the same fate in certain areas as it drags on. But it is doable as it actually has a handful of similar and playful lyrics to compensate for the long songs on this album, as it overall clocks in at around an hour which I consider to be a little longer for a genre like this.
Pretty basic synthpop but full of satisfying, bouncy rhythms and melodies. Not the most unique thing in the world but still enjoyable. Night and Day, Motion Sickness, and These Chains are bangers, though. 7/10
071223 18:57 3.5
Great album
Motion Sickness Night and Day Flutes
Ok this was cool
Not for me, dog Flutes and How Do You Do? are all-timers but there's so many skips... how did this make the list?
Motion Sickness ✅✅
A truly mixed bag of electronica
no thanks
Warm, lightly playful electronic grooves built from rubbery synth lines, soft-focus keyboard chords, crisp programmed drums, and woven-in, lightly processed vocals that melt into the textures move this synth-pop/electro-pop album like a neon sign flickering in the evening heat—bright and inviting at first glance, but most likely broken and uninviting.
Couple of good tunes. Not sure if it is one of my all time faves.
Didn’t pay enough attention as I should have
I’m partial to this genre. This is the exact type of music I was literally to in the 2010s. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of them before.
Not sure why this one’s on the list.
Indiozinho muito legal
Very mid. 'modern' sound that already sounds dated and tired. Similar to the XX album, minus the originality and quality - 2012... These are always entertaining - Yeah this tracks. Indie pop rock with a big bass. Classic festival sound of the 2010s - First song is screaming 3-stars. Completely and utterly mediocre - Bit more club music than I was expecting. Not in a good way - Background music. Uninteresting. Didn't bother finishing the album, had a pretty good sense of what I was going to get
I did be my best. I don’t like electronic music
Not really up my alley, but is an easy background listen and is genuinely a pretty smooth sounding album
I laughed when I saw this was my album today. Hot Chip, really? Why is there so much bad electronica on this list? There is nothing new or innovative going on here. I remember thinking Night & Day was okay when it came out, but it hasn't aged well.
3.5
Another new to me band and album. The generator keeps throwing me solids. Early Sunday morning dog walking, low 30's with a stiff wind. Hot Chip kept the walk brisk. A few listens in and I like it. I've been listening to a lot of electronic music, but I wouldn't have found this in my own. It's a bit long and I'd probably stick with the dance tracks on future listens.
Can't tell whether I'm bored or just indifferent to this band. I don't enjoy a fair amount of albums on this list but at least I kind of understand why they are here. I don't understand why this is here.
This isn’t for me.
Not everything is high art. This is ok British electronic pop music
I ate this hipster stuff up 2011-2014 but it feels so dated now. It feels like a dream, but I'd rather be awake.
Really enjoyed this album !
I only knew of this band because of their direct association with one of my favorite bands back in the day, LCD Soundsystem, specifically through member Al Doyle. But I don't think there's a point in comparing the two, even though they have a lot in common, especially on the production end, though Hot Chip is notably less eclectic. This was a great synthpop album - super catchy, groovy, and nice and warm on the ears, all while still managing to throw in a cool synth patch here and there to shake these mostly standard arpeggios and sequenced lines up. The slower guitar jam 'Look At Where We Are' also worked remarkably well in the sequence here and was a much-needed breather. But, generally, I never got tired of the sound palette used on most of these songs; at worst, they sound like your generic early '2010s pop bangers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for me. The song 'Night And Day' may be the worst offender of this in sounding pretty dated, but these moments were few and far between. Songs like 'Motion Sickness', 'Ends Of The Earth', and 'Flute' are great takeaways and songs I'll be listening to for the foreseeable future. Good stuff here.
What a band in 2012 thought the 80s sounded like
Just a bit mid for me
This has a few very good tracks but A LOT of filler. In particular, the slower songs really drag and add nothing to the album. Somewhere in here there's a snappy, upbeat 35 minute indie/electronica album, but unfortunately the bloat was not cut out. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing
i actually found this pretty engaging overall. there is some filler but this is one of the better electronica albums ive heard.
I listen to electronic music and Indie but have never heard of them. Pretty good indie dance music. feel like i recognise the vocalist from some other group. Nothing that stands out and i will probably not remember any of the track but it's well produced.
J'adore, il me faut c'est album !
good electronica vibes
Just not my sort of thing. Hard to understand why this has been included in the 1001
*2012. Synth pop/electronica. *Strange, like a combo of house music with alternative. *Too electronic for me, but some cool underlying music if you take out the weird sounds and synth. RATING - 5/10
Hot Chip had a moment i think in the late 2000s/early 2010s. this is very much in that electronic-focused indie sound that was huge at the time. there's a sound on How Do You Do that sounds like my morning alarm which wasn't very fun. but this sticks out to me in a world of bland indietronica because of the strength of the grooves on its best cuts. there's some tangible funk in this album. maybe a bit too long though. deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not but at one point i bet it seemed like a definitive yes
Unremarkable in every way.
mid
You know when I started this thing I figured I would get some amazing records. I thought I would get some long forgotten gem from the 60s or 70s that some DJ sampled in the 90s. Or perhaps a lost classic country artist with a tragic tale. Sadly, no. They're giving me shit like this and Kanye West and Ryan Adams. I sincerely mean no offense to those artists, but in 100+ years of recorded music I expect more essential listening than something from 12 years ago. These have all been good albums, just not ones that I needed to hear before I die. So, Hot Chip. This is not my thing. I'm sure it's a good album for people who are into this kind of music. I'm not. Not really. I dunno, maybe I am and I just didn't like this album. Bottom line, it's fine. Just not for me.
Best Song: How Do You Do? Such a great rhythm that instantly makes you want to dance. Worst Song: Look At Where We Are. This kind of quiet song, built entirely around the falsetto vocals, seemed at odds with the fun beats of the rest of the album. Overall: I really thought this was going to be great at the beginning of the album, but I felt like it fell off pretty hard in the latter half into something ordinary and forgettable. Nevertheless, it's pretty fun.
I only know Hot Chip from their singles This was a bit of a disappointment as it was a lot less playful and a lot more pedestrian than something like over and over or Ready for the Floor
Very fun, enjoyed a lot
High 3? Good record, some weird vocals but generally appreciated
That was okay, not a stand out 3/5
I really liked this album. I do think there is a lot of "just indie pop" in it, but there are other parts that are really great. It's hard for me to think of it as a 5 star, as I think it mostly is just a really good version of something that was already being done. However, I could see it growing on me even more if I listen to it more.
Was a huge fan of Hot Chip, still am in a way I just never really listen to them as much. You kinda know what you’re gonna get: really good, electronic indie. Glad this popped up as a reminder that they not only exist, but are incredibly good. This stands the test of time, and while it was never my favourite HC album, it’s still pretty damn good.
Some really good parts to this but felt they were chasing snappier songs that got to the point quickly like the indie bands hot chip were always bundled in with. The songs would have benefitted a lot from being given the time to grow a bit, for a band with an album called joy of repetition they avoided every chance for a good bit of it. Not bad but feels like a wasted opportunity.
Who are Hot Chip? After that album, I'm not really sure. Properly inoffensive, decently-made, electronica/pop. Didn't really stir any emotion from me. Hadn't noticed the album had looped back, and gone well beyond, the beginning. In Our Heads - more like, Not In My Head. Right?
Liked what I've heard of hot chip, but not heard an album before. Probably what I was expecting. It almost sounds 80s synthy, which I don't actually like when it's from the 80s, but hot chip make it good somehow. I thought I might enjoy this more than I did, but it was good. Was getting a bit tired of it by the end though. Still think a 3.5. nigyht be back
Extremely average.
I already knew and loved this album before this challenge, but listening through again only strengthened my opinion. This is some top shelf indie electronic dance music. Almost every track is great. Its got real momentum, keeps a consistent sound but avoid being boring or repetitive. A modern classic.
Веселая, легкая запись, разнообразная стилистически. Но и не глупая.
This album was actually titled in homage to Houmous & Chutney and just how catchy all 112 of their albums are. 2.6 7/11 Flutes
Vähän tämmönen keskiverto. 3/5
Herranjestas olipa lapanen levy. vähän niinku tylsä pet shop boys. 1/5
Fun synth pop, highly enjoyable
Not a bad album by any means, I do like Hot Chip - but there is absolutely no way this is a essential album that you MUST hear.
Some good tracks eh
I like this blend of dance pop and indie. It shows a measured eccentricity that I find appealing.
okey
Just indifferent.
Well, that was a bland and boring experience. I wonder why the author chose to include this album in the 1001. It's certainly hard to see why I really needed to listen to it, but since I did, I know enough to limit the number of stars to just two.
Album 971 of 1089 Hot Chip - In Our Heads (2012) Rating : 3 / 5 This one is billed as electronica, which usually puts me on guard right away - but I’ll give credit where it’s due. This album leans into melody more than I expected, and that makes a big difference. Instead of the harsh or repetitive electronic pulse I often associate with the genre, this one settles into something much more mellow and peaceful. There’s a gentleness to these tracks that surprised me. The beats are smooth, the vocals are warm, and most of the songs feel more like laid-back indie pop with electronic coloring rather than full-on electronica. It all blends together into a calm, easy listen - the kind of album you can put on while working or unwinding without it ever becoming grating. I’m usually pretty tough on this genre, but Hot Chip earns an exception here. Not a life-changing album, but definitely an enjoyable one.
I had never heard of this album or even this band before opening my OAD today. I am not mad at a fun-sounding electronic album, and this one went from strength to strength. I got some pretty obvious Future Islands / Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue, modern new wave vibes right off the bat. From time to time, I even hear a distinct early Depeche Mode influence, which was a pleasant surprise. Even with these clear connections, I don't get the feeling that the record is derivative in any way. I especially like the way Hot Chip uses their synths to create a very warm sound on many of their songs. The writing is even good! I was into each track until "Night and Day," halfway through the album, which I could have skipped, but then the record picked back up and finished strong. "Let Me Be Him" was a standout for its seamless flow of natural sounds and acoustic piano into synths, reverb, and back again. The final track, "Always Been Your Love," was a sweet, elegant closer with some understated '60s psych wah-wah guitar. I enjoyed my time with In Our Heads and will listen again. Four stars.
the synth going on in track 2 is kinda crazy fun (I really liked motion sickness) I do hear the 2012 energy but the synth makes it sound older. in "look at where we are " i lowkey thought it was Laufey (I really don't know why), but no it was a man. (I do like it though). track 5 sounds like the opening of a charli xcx beat. not really a fan of this one. track 6 is also weird and sexual and I don't like track 7 either. "now there is nothing" is kind of a older 60s (beatles??) melody and I do like it better and it's different from tracks 5-7 and more like the opening tracks. The overly synth-y stuff is not my cup of tea :/ "let me be him" is better fs but I kept wanting to skip in songs and 56 minutes is too long for this type of album. "always been your love" is also another melody I like more because it's less synth heavy and I like the duet. probably rate it like a 6/10 or like 2/5. not bad but probably wouldnt listen to more than the 3 songs I liked...
Favorite Track: Flutes
Lot of great bops on here. Weird vibe but lovin it. Hottest of chips.
Nothing special but not bad
I most recently listened to this a week and a half ago for funsies, what kind of star rating do you expect from me? I am heckin' biased, friends!
This is a solid album. The track ordering is wonky, since "Flutes" is my fave song on it and appears just after the middle. Thus in practice I usually don't bother listening to the last 4 tracks. They aren't bad, they're just a disappointment after what went before. 6 out of the first 7 tracks are bangers, you get to figure out which one I like least. Music nerd fact: "Flutes" is an excellent example of polyrhythm.
The opening track is so much better than the others that it’s not even funny. Expected to hate this album, was pleasantly surprised by the opening track. However, I was increasingly bored and annoyed as the album went on
Meh. It was fine.
Standouts Motion Sickness These Chains