If listening to Nickelback is like dating the captain of the football team, listening to Hot Chip is like getting with the president of the marching band. Both can provide a thrill, but the sweet, geeky Hot Chip are gonna treat you better in the long run. On their fourth album, they bring that long-term commitment to fans, exclaiming, “I only wanna be your one life stand/Tell me, do you stand by your man?” amid house beats and digitized funk. Alexis Taylor says influences came from all over: Madonna, Arthur Russell and — ready for the floor? — Susan Boyle. The Brits left out some of the goofiness and quirks of 2008’s Made in the Dark, crafting a cohesive album of melancholy electro ballads and Auto-Tune dance-floor hits. “Thieves in the Night” washes electric guitar growls atop pulsating synth blasts and pepper-shaker drums, while the slow, gooey harmonies on “Slush” recall old-school doo-wop. Though the album lacks some of Hot Chip’s much-welcomed spontaneity, One Life Stand will still be a standby for DJs and partygoers alike. It may not be for the commitment-phobic, but it’s definitely for the danceaholic. — Danielle Sills
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2010.
