Interlude: Repetition Makes An Impression

April 19th, 2007

Hot Chip is one of the few bands that I've really enjoyed, but for some reason or another, haven't blogged about. I guess I didn't really get into this until after seeing all the praise for The Warning on various year-end lists, although I hadn't really contemplated attending until realizing a few days prior to the show that tickets were still available. I'm unsure if this show sold out (the Friday one did, quickly), but serious thanks to Tanmay of Musicality for picking up tickets online for us. Also, check out more coverage of the event at Sound Bites.

Tussle

San Francisco's Tussle opened up. The band had two drummers, a bassist/keyboardist, and a guy in the back doing programming. It wasn't an accident that the drummers set up in front, as the whole set was percussion driven, which was definitely fine by me. Meanwhile, very nice bass lines and abstract vocal samples and other electronic effects provided some variation. I was pretty awed by how this all synced up, and while it was somewhat repetitive - the theme of the night - I was very impressed by the end of the set.


MP3: Tussle - Here It Comes (Kling Klang Excerpt)
MP3: Tussle - Eye Contact (Kling Klang Excerpt)
MP3: Tussle - Disco D'oro Munk Remix (Rong 12'')
MP3: Tussle - I'm An Indian Too (Rong 12'')
Official Site: Tussle

Hot Chip

Hot Chip have a very refreshing take on electronic music. As with my last synth-driven show at Webster Hall, everything was organic and played live, and although "live" is somewhat subjective when you're talking about four synths and a drum machine, the band incorporated many other instruments. From the onset, the bass was gigantic, perhaps a little much so, but it really added some immediacy. Unfortunately, I'm not really familiar with their pre-Warning material, and the setlist omitted some of my favorites, namely "Careful" and "Colours."

Still, the songs that I did recognize were given new forms, often taking choruses to their breaking points; "No Fit State" was a great example of this, with its militant title line twisted around a variety of airier lines. Again, somewhat repetitious, but the band maintained great energy, often headbanging alongside a significant portion of the crowd. The two primary vocalists were also their excellent, mellow selves, and even in the midst of frantic energy, they delivered their somewhat melancholy, distinctly British, and still very appealing vocals with ease.


And, of course, everything went insane with "Over and Over." You could feel the anticipation when the band started repeating a leisurely "Laaaid back," which exploded as the songs hit its chorus. I have to admit that I joined in with the gymnastics, along with what seemed like most of the crowd. The floor had been bouncing pretty much all night, but things really got out of hand. With this peak, the band headed off for the encore break, and while things slowed down when they returned, eventually concluding with downright tranquility. And with those last longing lines, Hot Chip confirmed that they just a bunch of romantics, albeit with a lot more bounce than your average heart-on-sleever.


MySpace: Hot Chip
Official Site: Hot Chip