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Track Listings
| 1. Careful |
| 2. And I was A Boy From School |
| 3. Colours |
| 4. Over And Over |
| 5. (Just Like We) Breakdown |
| 6. Tchaparian |
| 7. Look After Me |
| 8. The Warning |
| 9. Arrest Yourself |
| 10. So Glad To See You |
| 11. No Fit State |
| 12. Won't Wash |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The second album from Hot Chip, The Warning sees these inspired pop alchemists pull off some truly devious musical juxtapositions. Scholars of music from Timbaland to Stevie Wonder to the Aphex Twin, this South London quartet make quirky, ideas-packed vocal electronica perpetually veering between moments of bliss, humour, and sheer sonic mentalism - take the opening "Careful", vocalists Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard sweetly harmonising "Every year, exactly this time of year/They float a balloon up into the air", as the tune leapfrogs along on the sort of demented breakbeat rave seldom seen outside a Squarepusher record. Luckily, Hot Chip know enough not to sabotage all their elegant pop moments. "Boy From School" cribs deliciously from Stardust’s robo-Balearic anthem "Music Sounds Better With You", while "Over And Over" ("Like a monkey with a miniature cymbal/The joy of repetition really is in you") is bouncy testament to the joy of dumb, fun dance music. Further in, too, there’s sweet moments like "Look After Me", an R&B-tinged plea to an ex-lover, that sees these clever-clever white boys succeed in getting sentimental without resorting to irony. A dream synthesis of warmth and intelligence. --Louis Pattison
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Warn me,
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Warning (Audio CD)
Fledgling UK electropop band Hot Chip have found greater success with their second album, "The Warning," but thankfully have not sold their souls to do so.
This sophomore album is simply exploding with experiments and ideas, so much so that an otherwise amazing album gets a little drippy around the edges. Give them a few more years, and Hot Chip will be blowing our minds with the bravest, wildest electronica. For the moment, they're still trying their wings. It opens with the retro drones of "Careful," right before the song suddenly settles into a more expansive little groove. It sounds torn between retro synth and the artier edges that they are so, so good at. They stabilize their sound somewhat in "And I Was A Boy From School," with its steady beats and catchy little melody. From there on, Hot Chip experiments with just about any sound that electropop can include -- airy little ballads, hip-hoppish dance music, delicate beats like something from Telepopmusik, grimy robot rock, twinkly little art tunes, and some Kraftwerk-inspired techno. In other words, they will twist those amazing art beats into... anything, really. Not many bands can do EVERY kind of music with more or less successful results, but Hot Chip is pretty good at all kinds of music. The only problem is that they seem to be a bit torn between the popular retro sound, and the more out-there art sounds. In songs like "Careful," it feels awkward and unbalanced. But once they work the kinks out of that, Hot Chip will probably have few musical flaws at all. They have a knack for putting the right beats in the right places, and excel at deceptively simple melodies that never stop being catchy -- even the quieter ones can draw you in and make you mumble the words. They also know just how much to pack into a single song: the beats are heavy and rough, or delicate and crystalline. Glimmering synths, spurts of bass, funky melodies, buzzes, horns, sonic squiggling, and other sounds spice up the music. Plenty of artier moments, without losing that catchy dancey beat. Alexis Taylor sounds a bit like Benjamin Gibbard, with his mellow vocals and somewhat downbeat attitude. At first he seems almost nebulous on his own album, but he stands out more and more as you listen to him murmur about balloons, colours, and "Look after me and i will look after you/that's something we both forgot to do...." Since they have been nominated for a Mercury Award, expect Hot Chip to be more prominent than before, and hopefully they'll have plenty of time to get even better than they already are.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I'm Looking For A Place To Get Lost",
By A fan of music (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Warning (Audio CD)
I think this could do it for them. They've progressed leaps and bounds from the intriguingly skewed but slightly amateurish palate of Coming On Strong to create something altogether more profound.
There are no weak tracks here, and the sound as a whole is rich and warm, with delicious bleeps and washes of synth meshing wonderfully with the octave-apart double vocals. Highlights? The gorgeous, pining melody of And I Was A Boy From School, the impossibly fun *hit* single Over And Over, the cheeky beats and lyrics of the title track and the soothing and beautiful soon-to-be-come-down-classic So Glad To See You are all pretty flawless, but the whole album is full of delights. "This is a warning, I'll spell it out for you"- Hot Chip's sound is refreshing and unique, and if there's any justice 2006 will see them hit the big time. Nice one boys.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat Misunderstood,
By Simbob (Leeds / London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Warning (Audio CD)
A lot of people seem a little too fixated on the hype that Hot Chip received last summer and have had one listen and grumble because it isn't the best album they've ever heard.
Hot Chip take dated electro music; think kraftwerk, depeche mode and plenty of early 90s stuff, update it, soften it a touch and then repackage it in a much less pretentious way. Their is no big idea, no style that listeners attach themselves to, just some really nice, smooth electro tunes. The fact that they produced most of the album in a bedroom seems hard to believe at first but makes a lot of sense when you become conscious of the band's unassuming nature. Tracks like 'Colours' show a very melodic side to hot chip, the vocal mixes and soft keyboards make for a really upbeat and mellow song. The flipside would be a track like 'Over and Over', one of the anthems of last year. Catchy, sexy and very club-friendly. Other highlights are the thoughtful 'Boy from School' and the beautifully sleepy title track. Through these songs they show their variety, going from almost rocky riffs through tinkling glockenspiels, Daft Punk house beats and entwined vocal melodies. What you are left with, though, is a very original brand of smooth, almost sleepy electronica. Although Hot Chip are fantastic, it is true that this isn't an 'amazing' album. Tracks like 'Careful' seem awkward and whilst they are blatantly well-written, don't quite fit with the rest of the album. It's frustrating because it gives you a real taste of what Hot Chip are fast becoming but also reminds you that they aren't quite there yet. If all goes to plan you can't help buf feel that the next album should be pretty spectacular. And for anyone who has heard a couple of tracks but doesn't really get what the fuss is all about; give them a proper go. I find that their music grows and expands with every listen. S
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