Previous Hot Chip recordings focused primarily on creating dance-pop songs whose main focus was to dance. And their creative and party peaks reached an apex with 2008's Made in the Dark. That album was packed with hard beats and an unmistakenable vibe to enjoy the nightlife. Here, on their fourth album, the boys have taken things down a notch. Actually a few notches. One Life Stand is basically a soul album (Alexis Taylor's high pitched voice is no stranger to these slower jams as it has been featured on each of the previous Hot Chip albums) whose main topic is easy: LOVE. Each song features the word multiple times as it appears that the members want to settle down and move away from the dance-inspired electronica of their three earlier albums (the phrase "mature" is regularly used here in describing this transition). One Life Stand offers great tracks (opener "Thieves in the Night," "Alley Cats") but the tone and energy has been decreased more so than ever before in Hot Chip's career all the while pleading for happiness and love. With all that said, Hot Chip still possesses the knack for writing great pop songs but those expecting the toss this album on and be taken to a dance inspired utopia might want to reconsider and opt for Made in the Dark instead.
3.5/5.0
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