Album Pitch Correction
posted by on February 5 at 11:55 AM
Today Pitchfork posted reviews of Hot Chip’s Made in the Dark and Hey Willpower’s PDA. Hot Chip scored a decent but not remarkable 7.0. Hey Willpower scored a sad 3.0. My reviews of those records can be found here and here.
Relistening to PDA now, I think the ‘fork’s basically right. I think I just like the idea of Hey Willpower more than I like the actual record, but I didn’t want to cop to that. I was, for whatever reason, a little too kind to Will Schwarz’ pop goofs, which wear thin after a few weeks. It’s a cute record, but it’s not two-and-a-half stars cute. Maybe two.
My three stars for Hot Chip aligns more closely to Pitchfork’s 7.0 score, but, I think their essential argument about Made in the Dark—that it’s too scattered, that Hot Chip could’ve made a tightly focused album (be it 4/4 bangers or robot r&b) and it would have been better—is flawed. Sure, of the three Hot Chip records, the new one is probably my least favorite right now (still definitely a three star record, though), but I think the album’s tangents, it’s dips and peaks, are part of its charm. Hot Chip could’ve made a full-on, bass-thumping dance-floor assault (The Warning taken to its logical conclusion) or another fey, self-satirizing record like Coming on Strong. But instead, the band veers between the two, sometimes synthesizing their polar identities in weird ways. It’s not always successful, but I think the Hot Chip’s scattered approach is more fun than frustrating.
(Made in the Dark is out today)
God Grandy. Why are you justifying your reviews against Pitchfork's?
I'm not justifying my reviews, I'm engaging with other criticism.
Also, Pitchfork publish some excellent music criticism from time to time. It's like asking why Slog would ever address something in the New York Times or the New Yorker.
Eric,
I have to agree with you. Upon first listen I was pretty ho-hum on Made in the Dark, but upon subsequent listentings I found the softer, slower additions to be the album's stronger points.
Of course we all would love an album full of 4/4 bangers, but that's what the remixes are for, right?
You're right. Pitchfork does write the occasional solid review, but then so do you. Your line "Relistening to PDA now, I think the ‘fork’s basically right." catches my attention.
You liked an album, Pitchfork gave it a lousy review and now you agree with them and recant your review. You're better than that. Just saying.
Also, the new Hot Chip kills.
While the "Made in the Dark" is not nearly as good "The Warning," I really don't see how you can call it your least favorite Hot Chip album. That first one is such a turd...
I thought the first one was a turd for so long, too. But in the run-up to Made in the Dark I've rediscovered it in a big way. I think it's totally clever, both sonically and lyrically. It's the wholly cohesive Hot Chip album that pfork critic is yearning for, it's just already been made.
But seriously, my third favorite Hot Chip record is still so much better than so much else that status is hardly even a dis.
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