Hot Chip: Made In The Dark : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

It's tough not to admire a band that can work an affection for Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, R. Kelly and WWF icon Jerry "the King" Lawler into a hot club track — let alone do it with couplets like "I've got a roll of coins/I'm aiming for your loins." The best dysfunctional-lovers jam since Joe Nichols' "Let's Get Drunk and Fight," "Wrestlers" epitomizes what makes this quintet the sharpest dance rockers this side of their pals LCD Soundsystem: catchy tunes, monster grooves, and lyrics resolving the heartfelt and the smartass. Words are irrelevant on "Shake a Fist," a dance-floor killer about fame (or maybe drugs) with a head-exploding synth breakdown. But just when you're ready to dismiss Hot Chip as impressively snarky club brats, they uncork a drop-dead ballad like thetitle track, all sublime classic-soul guitar licks and choirboy vocal harmonies. "Since I stole this song, we have made a new start," croons Alexis Taylor, unable to avoid cracking wise amid serious sentiments about the sex/love chasm. It's like a wink in an IM.