In Our Heads

This record crowds the ears, the low end filling the space like a juicy hipster arse in a pair of skinny jeans back in this one’s day. Whatever improvisations gave up these tracks dove towards this fullness and left the songs just short of resolution, a bunch of moody sentences left hanging. It’s by choice, maybe, but I’m now hungry for either harder, extremist hedonism, or tunes that make me hum back. Does wake up over the last two. “Now There Is Nothing” is the closest I’ve heard to 10cc from this millenium, which is something. Not referring to the one great 10cc song, of course. Big boys don’t cry, Si.

I've liked what I've caught by this lot on the radio, and this album worked its way into my head over the weekend. I totally agree with the top review here, and had it been the follow-up to "Introspective" I would probably have loved it for 30+ years. Not in any way a PSB rip-off (Hot Chip use warmer tones than the old Fairlight/E-mu classic stabs) but their masterful skill with melody and counterpoint, and the plaintive vocals, are pleasingly similar. Glad to discover another potential favorite still current as we approach album 950!

Merely knowing this is from 2012 gives me a little dislike reaction almost as a reflex. I know I’d be far more delighted to listen to these exact same songs had it said they were from, say, 1987. I know it’s irrational and stupid, but that’s just how it goes. Acknowledging and trying to not mind it is the best I can do. That being said, this was quite good, especially given all the aforementioned. Lots of lovely analogue(-ish) synths and drum machines, even though I’m not too into the more indie sounding stuff of this millennium. A pleasant surprise, nevertheless.

I was expecting another generic electronic album, but this was actually pretty good. A bit long, and some songs could have been cut, but overall this was pretty nice to listen to.

Pretty bland

Fun and nostalgic!

It got better towards the end but a lot of that was very cringe

There are individual elements that I like here, but they did not really come together at all for me. Does sound like they were inspired by the pet shop boys though

All this bisexual knows is listen hot chip and lie. This is a good album! I'm gonna listen to more of their discography.

woo hoo! this one was fun. listened on a long train ride because the train was 25 minutes late but the whole album kind of glided together into a very nice vibe. Its fun to get some modern techno-ey music in here. I want to say that I would listen to it again, I really think I should, but idk if I will when there are so many other albums out there

good shit... have heard lots of people talk about hot chip but have not listened outside of hearing their hits out in the wild there's lots of different stuff in this and i like most of it. i love some global sounds in my synthpop, delighted to hear the italo disco and afrobeat influence on some tracks, flutes has those boopboop boop boops good soundtrack for my lonely day in the frame shop i miss you joe

The first song sounded like New Order and I spent the rest of the album wishing I was listening to New Order. 2.5/5

these guys are really good.

Very nice album. It contains, in my view, 3 classics: "How do you do?", "Night and Day" and "Flutes". This album is part of my personal history.

Don't really like the guy's voice. Wow, weird noise in Don't Deny Your Heart. Do not like that at all. Weird grunting noises- stop, please. The description on the music app says it's similar to Talking Heads. Yeah, they wish. And of course there's a damn slow song which I never welcome. "Look at where we are," yeah, no thank you... Sorry, got to skip. It's also very unsettling to listen to that guy's voice. I don't mind the song These Chains. It sounds like something you'd hear at Zara, h&m, DSW. Also liked Night & Day. I do not like the knocking sound in Now There Is Nothing. Yeah, kind of just an okay listen

Enjoyed the first 3 songs a lot, but slowly began to get bored of the album as it went on. I would give this album a 3/5.

Catchy and super easy to listen through. Music that I could see having on in the background while hanging out with friends. Maybe not something I will choose when music is the main focus.

Honestly better than I expected! Not sure this is an album everyone must hear before they die, but it was nice while it was on!

Dude I liked this a lot! 3.5 for sure. Nothing insane, but a nice instrumentally rich jam. Def something fun to put on for most musically inclined normies, but probably not something I'd return to super often.

Gave up on this, so you can probably guess the score. Really could not stand it.

Night and Day was fun but the rest of it is just a bit lacklustre. I keep thinking I'll like Hot Chip just because Over and Over was good but I really don't.

A nice suprise - this wasn't really what I expected - in a good way

Not a fan. Could not finish.

Pleasantly surprised this made the list (although I think it has been recently removed). Love Hot Chip, love this record. It just sounds so good, some of my favorite production on any record ever. Some of the songs are a bit middling (I still don't like the baby noises on These Chains but I'm inured to them at this point), but the peaks are incredibly high.

Fine, but not great.

Not for ne

Хороший и симпатичный альбом от современников Pet Shop Boys. Не сказал бы что это их лучшая работа, но слушается очень приятно

This is really an album about nothing much. The music is ... fine. Nothing wrong with it. But there's nothing great with it either.

Très peu pour moi

I didn't feel this album. Disappointing.

Never listened to it before, so listened while did some chores and admin. Quite amiable stuff, but 10 minutes after it ended, I couldn't remember any features of it.... which makes a review rather tricky.

3.5 stars

Not my type of electronic. The synth sounds are particularly sterile and vapid - there is little to say that hasn't been said before (and better) and with so little emotion this comes across as cold and wanting. Is it competent? Yes, I should say so. Is it revolutionary? Far from it, and pretty far from deserving to be on this list also.

3.7/5

This seems to just be another 2010s indie album-because it is. Seriously, none of these bands are very good, and they're certainly not worth hearing before you die. Berlin-era Bowie was made once, it doesn't need to be recreated by a group of amateurs with synths trying in vain to imitate their idol. Another disposable album that shouldn't be on the list.

Solid HC album, but for me it’s hard to have them as a 1001 entry without Over and Over, which for me is so clearly the Hot Chip song. 3.4/5

This album matches the album cover perfectly.. it has this sort of pop -art, modernism thing going on that feels very calculated but to me totally lacks soul. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for this when I put it on, but I felt like I had to choke this down one song at a time. I appreciate that my taste is totally subjective and I don't feel that is is truly bad in any way, but it totally failed to make any sort of positive connection with me.

I feel like I’ve mentioned this in a past review, but the only club I actually enjoyed going to when I was in university had indie music nights where they would play music like this. It was always on a Tuesday or something, so it was never all that busy. Just a handful of hipsters barely dancing while drinking PBR. Honestly, it still sounds better than going to an actual club today, but I don’t exactly miss those nights.

I’ve seen this band playing live on the TV and never quite warmed to them (whilst knowing I might really enjoy them if I was there). Subsequently I never really got round to listening to them on record. I think I may have missed out as this album was really a fun to listen to. I listened on headphones and it felt a lot warmer and engaging than I was expecting. Definitely one to listen to again.

Favorite Song: Ends Of The Earth Least Favorite: Night And Day

I can understand why people wouldn’t like this album. It’s really not all that good. But it is a sign of things to come. Real EDM, not this 90s venga boys shit is right on our doorstep. In just a few years really good electronic music is going to arrive. This album is a sad, yet noble, contributor to this project. To those albums about to be trashed, I salute you.

Another one of the few bands I'd never heard of going into this project, and another pleasant surprise! I usually don't like dance music because it gets boring and repetitive real quick, but if it's done right with a few added touches, that repetition can actually be quite enjoyable. Hot Chip seems to have found that exact sweet spot. I read an article recently that said Gen X is prone to nostalgia, and that definitely holds true with this record. The synthy swooshes and even the vocal style seem to bring me back to some specific place in my memory, especially on 'Let Me Be Him.' There's a brief passage in there that most people would probably pass right by, but it got stuck in my head and I had to figure out where I'd heard something similar. It turns out it reminded me of 'Tarzan Boy' by Baltimora! It was a nice little piece of brain candy that made the song that much more enjoyable.

***A good album

C'est Natalia et Chris qui m'ont initié à Hot Chip. Je préfère d'autres albums comme Made in the Dark par contre. Contrairement à Belle & Sebastian je trouve que leur présence sur scène est hypnotique: le petit Alexis Taylor est brillant.

Pas mauvais pour du techno. Sérieusement, j'aime bien leurs expérimentations occasionnelles avec la microtonalité. Et plusieurs modulations harmoniques que je qualifierais d'assez savantes, qui me font penser aux Beach Boys. Si on parle du même Chris, je suis surpris que ce genre de musique soit dans sa palette!

This was pleasant enough as background music today. 3 stars

Had a very 80s sound to it. Highlight for me was the very New Wave-y "Don't Deny Your Heart." Other than that, nothing really stood out as being particularly great or bad. 3 stars.

I was suprised to see this as i would have assumed it would be their first album. I was a Hot Chip fan, but after a while it does become repetitive. Very of its time with some nice beats and nerd core vocals and it bounces along well but i doubt its in the best albums that year, let alone all time.

I thought I would like this but the dance beats were too much and the music never went anywhere interesting. I’m sure they were singing about anything interesting either. Sure they slowed it down but it still kind of sounded the same.

Didn't mind this. Bopped along nicely enough even if it's ultimately kind of inconsequential. I'm somewhat partial to inconsequential bleeps and bloops.

Crisp, tasty, could use a few more Scoville units.

Swings from extremely fun to extremely generic but overall I really really enjoyed this album. A very fucking good time

2.5 stars I remember this time period of music. Electro pop with an indie vibe to it. It was one of the two types of hipster music at the time, the other being Stomp-Clap "Hey!" music. Never listened to this band before, but I think LCD Soundsytem does it better than them tbh.Theres some good songs on here but theres also some crap Motion Sickness: Dig the vibe. Its very "of the era". There were a ton of indie dance pop bands around 2010. How Do you Do?: fun Dont Deny Your Heart: its fine. least favorite so far. ("wrong"-Morgan from the future) Look at Where We Are: Might be fun to listen to this one with a good system and/or good headphones. Enjoyed it. These Chains: 10 seconds in and I hate it. Brunch-spot-that-plays-the-music-way-too-fucking-loud ass music. Night and Day: They seem to be leaning more into the electro/dance side as the album goes on. This is another that's not my cup of tea. Flutes: Hey! Back to good songs! Now There Is Nothing: Interesting little groove. Dont love it but dont hate it. Its fine. Ends of the Earth: fine Let Me Be Him: idk man. Seems like the singer with the deeper voice is reserved for songs that are bad. like this is fine i guess, but its not something i will ever put on myself Always Been Your Love:

meh, kinda boring millennial copy/paste slop. Im a millennial too.

Never heard of this band before. I really missed out.

Dette er kødd, sant? Dette må være en parodi på 80-talls-syntpop...

Okay for what it was. Not for me.

Hot Chip always makes me think of those bright red Golden Flake Hot chips. Anyway, Hot Chip the band makes fun, danceable music. 3.5 golden flakes.

The list giveth. This album was full of energy, great memories, pumping rhythms. I had no idea.

Hmm, nah, doesn't do it for me

Let me guess, this came out the same year as an edition of this book. Like, if you really thought someone should hear Hot Chip before they die, wouldn’t you pick whatever album Ready For The Floor is on? I know this is about full albums, but still. Be serious.

Weirdly simple. After what felt like 40 minutes I realized I was only on the 3rd track.

Good background music nothing much to complain about but the songs are long

Some catchy loops that feel like they're from the early 2000s and not 2012 which is when this came out. Some great tracks and some not so great ones here. The production's dreamy energy elevate the whole.

Felt a little silly sometimes, but pretty groovy throughout!

Very interesting

Ok, that was pretty fire actually. Allowed me to lock in

Gear: Punch Audio Portazo Artwork: 🟥🟨🟩🟦🟪 Production: 🙂‍↕️👂🧈 Music: 🎛️🧠🍬 Rating: ♨️♨️♨️(♨️)/5

beep boop, 40 years too late

Electronic pop, kinda groovy

speechless... I think I liked every song like, I'm not even kidding SOLID 4 ALMOST 5

Good Alternative Electronic album. They've perfected the easy to listen to, chill/danceable quality, and experimental sound of electronic music, while keeping the tracks from sprawling into unnecessary repetition or esoteric technical exercises by sticking somewhat to regular song structure. The vocals complement the sound well, and the lyrics keep on theme without feeling repetitive -- it's more like the album tells a full story. However, the quality is not very consistent: the top tracks are amazing, but some sound a bit dated or just don't have the same sauce -- otherwise it would be five stars.

I must have missed this first time around. I can see why. It's nothing remarkable but fun enough

Conhecia algumas músicas do Hot Chip, mas não conhecia esse álbum, muito gostosinho esse álbum. Sensacional (4/5).

I'd vaguely heard of this band, had no idea what to expect. Synth pop? Yes, as I listen that seems like a good description, I was relieved to find that the tracks are competently made: mostly not boring, only the occasional slower number seemed a bit plodding. Dance pop? I didn't try, but I could imagine some of these tracks working fine on a dancefloor. Moreover, the lyrics actually seem decent - I didn't see/hear anything offensive or too shallow. So, I'm quite happy to have been exposed to this. But, I don't feel much motivation to listen again (beyond briefly skipping through the tracks a second time to pick a favourite). The Wikipedia section on critical reception includes a quite interesting mix of comments. I could agree with "delivering their quirks and grooves with bigger, broader strokes that don't feel dumbed down", and "a similar subtlety in the songwriting, which is deeply idiosyncratic without smashing you over the head with its quirkiness". On the other hand, I could also agree with the following: "Lively and upbeat, but naggingly sterile. Tasteful and perfectly executed, but workmanlike." On balance, I'll call it Good, 7/10.

Not horrible, but basically indistinguishable from a dozen other euro-electronic music outfits. It’s fine, just not that interesting or unique.

Hot Chip’s In Our Heads might have been tagged “alternative” in 2012, but drop it into 1984 and it would sit comfortably alongside the brighter edges of New Wave. It’s a fun album—almost too fun for a Monday morning. The problem wasn’t the band so much as me wanting something slower, softer, or a little more melancholy than the neon‑lit bounce they delivered.

This was a fine synth-pop album. It didn't knock my socks off, but it had a decent vibe and was inoffensive to listen to save for Night and Day, which became noticeably annoying for me.

Love a bit of Hot Chip, but prefer other albums over this one.

Unexpected as i had heard earlier albums from them and wasn't too impressed however this one seemed to be more direct, better tunes and good production. Will revisit some of their albums again.

Not a masterpiece but impeccable work all the same. You had me at synthpop, to be fair.

I liked this, despite it being a bit repetitive. The songs were fun and had a great beat.

Listen to Hot Chip and lie

Another straight banger.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting to. It reminded me of Pet Shop Boys. Still, it's really not my genre and if I was going to listen to synth-pop I would just go for the Pet Shop Boys over this album. It was good to have on in the background but I struggled to focus on it. Fav song: Look At Where We Are Least fav: Night and Day

A random reference in peep show is all I have heard about this band before now. Not my favourite type of music but on the whole ok. Specific rating - 3.9 Fav song - flutes Least fav- look at where we are

Al Doyle was simultaneously in Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem (and he lived with Alex Horne at uni), busy guy! I really like the album cover but I'm fairly neutral on the music and I wasn't a big fan of the vocals. Favourite song: Now There Is Nothing Least: Ends Of The Earth

-Very atmospheric -Futuristic -Indie -Great for a chill night out in the city

Here's a band that I like, but don't love. It's definitely good music to dance to. They are definitely electro pop which has appeals for some people so this is a great album sonically. It's just not for everybody.

I really liked this. The energy was good. I was jamming along.

Ok, but nkt a single track was memorable

Surprised by this one, I enjoyed it enough to give it another spin. So it earns a 3

Unexpected like

A little bit bland. Quite predictable electronics and awful vocals

absolutely loved

First few songs are good and there's nothing awful here, but it never really goes anywhere and the songs all start to sound the same pretty quickly

Always quite liked Hot Chip, but never loved them.

All pastiche with little substance. If I wanted to hear this kind of synth pop, I would so much rather hear the bands Hot Chip are aping from -- there is practically nothing on this record that wasn't already done 25+ years earlier. And it's produced with an easy listening sheen that makes it ready for ad placement (I swear I heard one of these songs in an insurance commercial). I don't know, I feel like I'm being hard on them -- it wasn't a noxiously terrible listen. But there is zero chance I will ever want to revisit this.

Interesting album. Flutes is a very good song. Took a couple listens to get into. 4 out of 5.

I've always really enjoyed this album