Made In The Dark

Rolling Stone (p.78) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] catchy tunes, monster grooves, and lyrics resolving the heartfelt and the smartass." Rolling Stone (p.96) - Ranked #49 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "With irresistible party-starters..." Spin (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Hot Chip enliven their mix of indie club and British music hall with a surreal playfulness. This is some serious whimsy." Spin (p.51) - Ranked #08 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "The gawky Brits have nearly perfected their giddy blue-eyed robo-soul." Uncut (p.86) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "On this rich and touching LP they confidently draw upon their diverse influences and skill sets in new, often inventive way without spoiling the delicate nature of their songs." Alternative Press (p.146) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "DARK finds Hot Chip shaping their big ideas into inventive, streamlined songs." The Wire (p.49) - "Their focused, cleverly crafted pop riffs are impressive....'Bendable Poseable' has richly layered percussion with bleeps and twirls kneaded into an inspired, sticky mass." Q (Magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "MADE IN THE DARK pulses with an unusual intelligence and creative bravery." Mojo (Publisher) (p.104) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "MADE IN THE DARK is incredibly precise....'Hold On' best articulates their uneasy aesthetic, the clash between dancefloor hedonism and detached pop intellectualism..." Blender (Magazine) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here's a newfound decisiveness, a move toward heavier beats, meatier grooves and warmer sentiments." Harp (magazine) (p.102) - "Bo Diddley beats, sincere ballads, seriocomic stereo manipulations, straight up electro dance jams: Hot Chip proves to be multi-faceted and ever evolving..." The Word (magazine) (p.92) - "['Made In The Dark'] is an instantly affecting ballad....Here and on the closing 'In The Privacy Of Our Love,' the handbags and spilled drinks are a million miles away....These are affecting revealing love songs..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.90) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "MITD's first four tracks present a masterclass in dancefloor-batteriing electro..." Clash (Magazine) (p.106) - "Opener 'Out At The Pictures' kicks things off in great style. An off kilter snapping beat sets up the tune before it breaks into anew and improved Hot Chip funky break complete with buzzes, whirrs and whoops." Clash (Magazine) (p.65) - Ranked #24 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "MADE IN THE DARK glows with the promise of an album that'll last the pace for years and mark Hot Chip out as relentless alchemists..."

甘美かつエレクトロなパフォーマンスで観客を骨抜きにしてくれた昨年の〈サマソニ〉公演も記憶に新しいロンドンの5人組が、短いスパンで新作を投下!　ヨーロッパを中心に〈ダンス・ロックの金字塔〉と絶賛された前作『The Warning』も素晴らしかったが、今作はそれを遥かに上回る傑作だ。全体を包み込む柔らかな電子音は極美の一言だが、さらにバラード曲やソウルフルなナンバーなど新たな可能性も開示している。　 　
bounce (C)白神 篤史