Review Summary: Forget my limitations
Reliability may not be the sexiest trait one can attribute to a band but it is an endlessly underrated one. Acts that are able to produce quality albums year after year are often destined to be taken for granted or worse, unjustly labelled as boring; sustained excellence or dominance often leads to a public backlash for some unfathomable reason (jealousy, perhaps?). Bands such as The National or Spoon who use each new release to gradually refine their own formula until they perfect it are too often criticised for playing it safe and refusing to take risks. Hot Chip also don’t take risks, but not in the sense that they’re continually tweaking their formula until they find their musical sweet spot; they don’t take risks in the sense that even their boldest experiments sound so assured that they never feel in danger of failing. To quote Alan from The Hangover, “it’s not gambling when you know you’re gonna win”. Why Make Sense? (the band’s sixth album) triumphantly continues Hot Chip’s winning streak.
More than anything, the album is a testament to the band’s endlessly adventurous spirit. The most impressive tracks on Why Make Sense? forces past and present musical touchstones together to create something new altogether. Album highlight “Love is the Future” mixes jittery 90s R&B with future-garage (to astounding effect) and the back half of opener “Huarache Lights” is the sound of Daft Punk dropping in on the ecstasy fuelled Madchester club scene with its pulsing bass and talkbox filtered vocals. Hot Chip are notorious music lovers and are keen to show they have their collective ears to the (under)ground; the hypnotic “Dark Night” borrows Johnny Jewels’ noir disco template to soundtrack a midnight city walk. Elsewhere, the band channels the likes of Bonobo and Burial with the echo laden vocal sample and dusty drums on “Need You Now.” Despite the array of genres covered on Why Make Sense? it never feels disjointed, thanks mostly to Alexis Taylor’s gorgeous falsetto, which sounds just as good over stuttering funk numbers (“Easy to Get”, “Started Right”) as it does on contemplative ballads (“So Much Further to Go”). It’s easy to underestimate the difficulty of tying these seemingly disparate genres into a coherent album, simply because Hot Chip make it sound so effortless throughout, but this is another potent reminder of just how adept Taylor and co. are at crafting winsome dance numbers.
Don’t confuse their musical proficiency with stuffiness though, the band have always had an endearingly playful streak, which the band make the most of here. Why Make Sense? is full of the bands idiosyncratic sense of humour; the decision to name their Marvin Gaye inspired romantic ballad “White Wine and Fried Chicken” is a move Prince would be proud of. They show their gleeful unwillingness to bend towards popular trends, choosing De La Soul’s Pousdnous for a guest rap verse in an age where Flo Rida et al. are in constant demand to help secure no.1 Billboard spots. Even lead single “Huarache Lights” is a rave induced ode to Taylor’s favourite pair of trainers. Hot Chip’s continued refusal to take themselves too seriously even extends to their acknowledgement of their unlikely longevity, always addressed with a wry grin. “So Much Further to Go” is a meditative ballad that never sounds anything less than tongue in cheek as Taylor declares their success to be “like a miracle that’s hard to bear”, whilst hinting that the band won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Meanwhile, the cacophonous title track questions the implications of the internet addicted society we find ourselves in yet could double as a good-natured dig at the mindless nature of popular dance music (something Hot Chip relentlessly fight against).
By 2015 it’s practically a forgone conclusion that Hot Chip would deliver an album full of masterfully produced indie-house tracks; what wasn’t so predictable however, was that they would branch off into such uncharted territory for album number six. Why Make Sense? is an amalgamation of past, present and future dance trends and, appropriately, feels like one of the most exciting (not to mention eclectic) dancefloor playlists of the year, all whilst doing the unthinkable; making reliability sound surprisingly enticing.
