By Hot Chip, 2005

Newly signed to Astralwerks and DFA, Hot Chip is London's twisted electronic pop up & coming band whose influences range from the The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young and Prince to Ween, Madlib and Devo. Coming On Strong is like a 21st Century electronic version of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes, having recorded in a murky home studio and brimming with the pleasures of domestic life: eating, sleeping, loving, drunkeness and heartache. The 80s loom large in Hot Chip, with songs like "Take Care" and "Down With Prince" which features a disjointed funk that would make the Purple one smile. US release includes 3 bonus tracks.Are Hot Chip another postmodern buzz band from England making happy-go-lucky pogo-pop as fast as they can before it becomes passe? Thankfully, the answer is hell, no. Not only is there a span of five years between their first EP and their debut, but Hot Chip may in fact be seen as an update of the Beta Band at their loosest and best. A loungey, electropop sheen covers much of the music, but more than anything, Hot Chip displays an omnivorous approach to the entirety of alt, ‘60s pop and electronic music history. Their songs are infectious, silly and often weirdly beautiful. The hilarious "A-B-C," for instance, is a big pimpin' in the basement tune that crosses acoustic guitars with retro bleeps and will easily appeal to fans of Ween. A London-based group with singer-songwriters Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard at the core, Hot Chip's mixture of textured, smart, lo-fi groove with actual humor is incredibly rare, and great. –Mike McGonigal

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