Sunday 18 January 2009

Review - Hot Chip - Hot Chip With Robert Wyatt And Geese

Hot Chip - Hot Chip With Robert Wyatt And Geese

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8 out of 10

The love-in between Hot Chip and Robert Wyatt (drummer/singer in 1960s prog rockers Soft Machine before becoming a folk/jazz legend in his own right) began around the release of Wyatt's excellent 'Comicopera' album in summer 2007, and long may it continue. Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor wrote the press release for 'Comicopera'; then they remixed 'This Summer Night', a song by Wyatt and French producer/composer Betrand Burgalot. Now for this EP, Wyatt has chosen for reinvention three songs from Hot Chip's fourth LP 'Made In The Dark' (there's also a rippling, Foals-like remix of 'One Pure Thought' by Geese).

Soft, soulful and awkward, Taylor and Wyatt's voices compliment each other wonderfully, especially on 'Made In The Dark', a pretty but forgettable piano ballad originally, but here - with the addition of Wyatt's voice, French horn and computery squelchy, twangy things - it makes you sit up, take notice and smile. 'Whistle For Will' was also a quiet piano number on 'Made.', but here it is made to shimmer with strings and low key synth drones. Wyatt's broken semi-falsetto is also an affecting jolt.

'We're Looking For A Lot Of Love' is the only song put through the filters of both Wyatt and Geese, and his folky and string additions lend themselves to dance surprisingly well, with Geese twisting the Hot Chip and Wyatt into hiccoughing, cliché-free chill out. If these three songs are anything to go by, an album by these unlikely partners would be more than good.

Listen: www.myspace.com/hotchip

Tracklist:
1. Made In The Dark (With Robert Wyatt)
2. Whistle For Will (With Robert Wyatt)
3. We're Looking For A Lot Of Love (With Robert Wyatt, Remixed by Geese)
4. One Pure Thought (Remixed by Geese)

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