Coming on Strong

Hot Chip | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 29, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B000BY86WE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,836 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

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.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first half gets all the stars, March 25, 2006

By 

B. B. Hawes "DJ: 'White Chocolate' on KSJD" (Mancos, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Coming on Strong (Audio CD)

Think of it as an amazing EP. Other reviewers have got it right - this album is unclassifiable, and amazing -- for about 7 songs. In fact, I'm not positive about anything about this album. It is that unsettling. Imagine Paul McCartney getting brain-damaged and haunted by Beck's Midinite Vultures, with only a cheap keyboard to keep him company. Maybe. I am having a hard time even forming an opinion of these guys, which is usually an indicator that they are doing something very good.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars both disposable and indisposable songs, February 3, 2006

By 

Jason Harrington "Trucker Hater Magazine" (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coming on Strong (Audio CD)

Songs 1-6 (possibly stretching it to include 7) you will have to pry from my cold dead fingers because they rule the known universe, but the very next song seems to begin the downward decent which culminates in "Baby Said"--a song I could absolutly do without owning or even hearing (I hate skipping tracks so I try to sit through it and it just hurts me). At a minimum though, I think everyone should have "Playboy" on their I-Pod (pun intended), because it's one of the greatest songs I have ever heard in my life. Most of this album can be choked down simply because "Playboy" is on it. "Comming On Strong" is like the super nerd answer to Nelly (I hate Nelly like Jews hate Hitler). One more tidbit: the bonus tracks are WORTHY. In fact, if I could improve upon this album, I would remove "You Ride, We Ride..." (a song better suited for Air, whom I like) & "Baby Said." I would keep the bonus songs, and if "Shining Escalade" or "One One One" dissapeared then I would not miss them, but as it stands I can sit through them. This is one of those albums like the recent releases from Chromeo and Scissor Sisters, because I could make the sickest dance party blend by compiling the best tracks from the three, but I must say that Hot Chip ages way better than those two simply because the humor is delivered in such a sincere way. I don't think this is goofy like Ween, but if you compiled Ween's rare serious moments from the Mollusk, Quebec, & White Pepper (for starters) then made retro synth funk remixes of them--it might be like this. I can't wait to hear the new record Hot Chip working on. They are off to one hell of a good start.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars happy music for a depressing day, February 5, 2006

By 

Brian Koschak (springfield, mo United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Coming on Strong (Audio CD)

i can't quite figure these guys out... are they a downer band or are they upbeat jokesters? hot chip is the exact center point between dreary radiohead and hip-bucking Beck, and, yes, it is as weird as that sounds. "playboy" is without question the standout track and is one of the very best/weirdest pop songs i've heard in many years. most of the album is incredible , tho there are moments where i wanna rip the keyboard out of their hands... oh well... but most of the album grows like a fungus over repeated spins so it's rewarding as time goes on.

this record would sound great thumpin' at a summertime party or alone in your room with your headphones as you curse the entire world and everyone in it. one of the more unique listening experiences i've had in a while.