Made in the Dark
Encyclopedia
Made in the Dark is the third studio album from British electronic indie
pop band Hot Chip
. The album, of 13 songs, was released on 4 February 2008 on the EMI
label. It peaked at number four on the UK Album Chart, number 25 on the Australian album charts, and entered at number 109 on the U.S. Billboard 200
. Several singles have been released from the album, including "Shake a Fist
", "Ready for the Floor
", which reached number six on the UK Singles Chart
, and "One Pure Thought
".
A defining feature of the album is the strong presence of romantic ballads. The ballad "Made in the Dark" was described as "sublime" by one critic, although not all the ballads received universal praise. Alexis Taylor, the main contributor to the lyrics, stated that he was proud of the album lyrically and felt that feelings of love and happiness, partly the result of his recent marriage, had contributed to the album's romantic tone.
Critics stated that songs such as "Ready for the Floor" and "Bendable Poseable" were reminiscent of their previous release, The Warning
. The style of the album was not considered as big a leap forward as the changes evident between Coming on Strong (2004) to The Warning (2006). It was said that Hot Chip had honed their music by using quirks of their musical style to make more accomplished music, however, some critics felt that the album lacked focus, containing too many varied elements; it was described as "loveable but flawed".
with parts of the rest of the band playing.
In regards to editing, Taylor said that Hot Chip have "never really been too good at bothering to get rid of little imperfections in the music"; he felt they added personality and said that "it's good not to be too dogmatic about it if that's what suits the song". Hot Chip used a variety of vocal structures, including layered vocals, where two takes of the same vocals were added together, changed by idiosyncrasies from the way it had been sung, and the doubling of a single performance, shifted out of beat.
Drummer Felix Martin said Made in the Dark was a "true group effort". The process began with Taylor and Goddard creating lyrics, then Goddard would produce parts of tracks, which Alexis would then add "lyrical content and melodies and so on that he’s thought of while he’s on the bus or in the bath or wherever he happened to be". The other three members of Hot Chip, Owen Clarke, Al Doyle, and Felix Martin would then "have some influence on the way the songs are put together."
Some equipment used to create the album remained the same as previous albums—Goddard used Steinberg Cubase SX3 on his laptop and Doyle and Martin worked on songs using Apple Logic in their studio. To create the chorus for "Ready for the Floor", Goddard used plug-ins from Arturia, such as Moog Modular. He used two sound channels to control noise and melody, and placed the noise channel in Cubase and had it follow the melody, to make it "punchier". With "Bendable Poseable", Goddard recorded live percussion parts with a Shure Beta 57A mic going directly into Cubase and "fashioned them into a jittery, three-minute loop". This was emailed to Taylor, who then recorded the main vocals for the song. To create the beat in "Shake a Fist" Martin used the Elektron Machinedrum.
Hot Chip enjoy being a live band and have said it is "something [they've] always tried to do". As the group contains "a lot of different types of musicianship", the band "have to be spontaneous whenever [they] can." Doyle, the guitarist, stated that Hot Chip change the original recordings when playing their music live. At the London-based studio called the Strongroom, "One Pure Thought", "Hold On" and "Shake a Fist" were recorded live, instead of on multitrack
, and were subsequently pieced together. This was the first occasion that Hot Chip had recorded music in a studio environment.
Taylor described Made in the Dark as "a real mix of different things" and said that Hot Chip was "learning how to be a different kind of band" while making the album:
would use. Taylor supported the name "IV" because he liked "giving people the wrong impression all the time", and defended his opinion, saying "if [people] give us any time, they would see that we're very serious about comedy ... and serious things as well". The album was called "Made in the Dark" because it was a title the band agreed on. Taylor considered the eponymous track to be one of his favourite songs, and thought it was nice to name the album after a thoughtful song, in contrast to Coming on Strong
and The Warning, which he described as being "big, slightly jokey, macho phrases".
—the green coating formed on copper during oxygenation. Wall amalgamated the ideas to create the image used on the album's cover, which was named "The Artifact". The image was embossed on metallic copper card to give a "tactile feel" that would imply the album was "an object rather than illustration-based design."
in October 2007, Taylor said there would be an equal proportion of electronic elements to live material, as the band doesn't "do things by adding one thing and taking something else away". The album contained maximalist
and minimalist songs; several tracks on the album were influenced by rock
and heavy metal music
, and the track "Wrestlers" started taking a new direction because the band was "wrestling with the idea of making an R. Kelly
kind of slick R and B number" and ultimately "[sounded] more like Randy Newman
's "Short People
". He said, "if the press release says it's faster and rockier it doesn't account for that fact that there are more ballads on this record than any other record." Taylor said that feelings of happiness
and love
influenced the album's romantic feel.
Goddard considered varying styles and influences a key factor in the band's music. He explained to The Sun
that creating music could be difficult because a member could introduce a different influence. Goddard and Doyle said that clashes and restlessness during recording led to "unpleasant" periods of silence, but ultimately thought the clashes created "something more interesting because you have these different voices and not one person dictating".
Martin told The Georgia Straight
that the group are "afflicted with something akin to musical attention-deficit disorder" and said that the group "get bored quite easily [...] with [their] own records at times". He elaborated by saying that the group aren't "really interested in reproducing the same sound" because they don't find it exciting.
Taylor stated Hot Chip "didn't set out to make something with one mood" and that he thought the band's style of "jump[ing] all over the place stylistically" made sense as a record. In an interview with The Georgia Straight, Martin expressed that Hot Chip didn't want to create a "'classic' record that would have a particular sound" as they wanted to make music that was "quite experimental and out-there". Made in the Dark was intended to represent the "whole live sound of the band" and they are "a band as much as originally having been a duo".
's Sign o' the Times and The Beatles
' White Album. Taylor explained why Hot Chip's albums "go from one mood to another so readily", by saying "Eclectic music
has been our first musical background" and that he and Goddard had different musical interests when they were younger. Made in the Dark is influenced by contemporary artists such as Black Dice
and Will Oldham
. Taylor appreciated Oldham for his minimalism of "just acoustic guitar
and harmonium
and voice for the whole record" and wanted Hot Chip to emulate him.
that he was "so proud of [the album] lyrically" and thought the song "Made in the Dark" contained the best lyrics he had ever written. Taylor explained that it was "very easy" for him to focus on the "more serious lyrics, like a love song very dear to [his] heart" but stated that "Wrestlers" was "equally as important and feels like a very different style of music than we have ever got down on record before." He discussed "Wrestlers" in the band's interview with The Sun, explaining that the song is "musically and lyrically quite direct" because "it doesn’t have thousands of layers", in contrast to the song "Bendable Poseable". The concept of the song "Wrestlers", originates from a text message from James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem
. After Doyle toured with Murphy, Murphy sent a text message that said, "Sorry you can't have Al back, I'll wrestle you for him. And I'll beat you because I'm bigger and stronger than you." Goddard explained that "the words in that song are about wrestling", and the band "have no doubt" that Murphy would defeat them in a wrestling fight.
The song "Ready for the Floor
" contains an allusion to the 1989 film, Batman
, with the line, "You're my number one guy". In an interview with The Fader magazine, Taylor said the reference was a result of thinking about the Batman film, which has many things that Taylor is fond of, such as the Prince soundtrack. He commented that sometimes those items "seep into what we're writing about" and said that he likes to reference "in an oblique way". He conjectured that he had included the line to say something to "everyone in the band, particularly to Joe [Goddard], 'You're my number one guy, why is there any problems between any of us?' "
"Shake a Fist" was written by Taylor after Goddard took a legal herbal substance during the Glastonbury Festival
which produced feelings akin to teleportation. Goddard said, "it was a brilliant time" and told Alexis to write down words to go with his experience. The song features a voice sample
from Todd Rundgren
.
. Doyle said the band had wanted it to happen "for ages" and that people would see it as a surprise collaboration
. Taylor said, "I crave confusion and quite like people to be surprised. I try to do that in the words and music and try to be what people don't think we are. Robert is someone we have liked for much longer than people realise. We feel closer to people in a different field, age or era." The album features Emma Smith, who had previously joined with Hot Chip to play violin and saxophone on their first two albums.
reported that Hot Chip was planning to give "Ready for the Floor
" to Kylie Minogue
. Other reports incorrectly suggested that Hot Chip
had written Made in the Darks second single, "Ready for the Floor
" specifically for Minogue. Taylor explained that it was a misunderstanding; "It started because someone asked me if we would ever write for Kylie. I said that we'd been asked to write for her but we'd never got round to it. And I said if we had to give her one of our songs, "Ready for the Floor" would probably be the most suitable. From that, I got misquoted. We didn't write "Ready for the Floor" for Kylie, didn't send it to her and she never heard it."
After the first rumour circulated, Joe Goddard created a reverse rumour, saying that Minogue had written a track for Hot Chip. He told NME
, "Kylie wrote a song for us, She sent it through our management to us – it was totally bizarre. It was the beginnings of a track – I think she wrote it and just thought, 'This would be perfect for Hot Chip', or possibly for a collaboration. It's a crazy song. It's industrial and clanging and even has farmyard animal noises on it. It's the kind of music you'd never normally associate with Kylie. When I'm allowed to send it around its going to change a few people's ideas about her. Maybe it's one for our next album, after Made in the Dark." Taylor later admitted that it was a joke created to fool people because the band were tired of people phoning them up to ask why Minogue had apparently rejected a song she did not hear. Goddard said, "We've been telling lots of lies and rumours about it because we found it quite funny."
In January 2010, Goddard stated that "at the beginning there was some contact. As I recall, we were going to do a session with one of her writers" but both Hot Chip and Minogue were too busy at the time. He added "there was a grain of truth in the beginning, but then it all snowballed into some big silly thing". When asked, in 2010, about giving a song to Minogue, he stated that it would be "amazing".
data reported by Billboard
, has sold 47,000 copies and has been certified Gold for UK sales.
"Shake a Fist
", the first single to be released from the album, was released on 12" vinyl single at the beginning of October 2007 but did not chart. The second single released, "Ready for the Floor
", charted for 24 weeks in five different charts, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Top 75.
reported a rating of 78%. There were mixed comments about the ballads; two reviewers noted a disparity between the energy of the ballads to different songs. Drowned in Sound
commented that, "ballads remain a strong suit, particularly the easy grace of the title track, but more often than not sit awkwardly next to the more toothsome numbers and feel under-produced by comparison" with similar comments from Allmusic who said, "Made in the Dark’s main weakness might be its ballads, but that may just be in comparison to its many energetic moments, which are so addictive that it feels like a forced come-down whenever the band slows things down." However, The Observer
gave a positive evaluation of the ballads; "Hot Chip have had a happy way with a subliminal power ballad. And Made in the Dark can boast four of the best." Pitchfork Media
rated the album as 7/10 with a mixed review, describing it as a "patchy, turbulent record" due to the use of many different individual components and also said that it was a "good record but not a great one". Martin responded to the criticism made by Pitchfork Media:
Another element that caused mixed reception was the use of a Todd Rundgren sample in "Shake a Fist", which musicOMH.com called "delightful" but The Guardian
described it as grating. musicOMH.com, whose description of the album was positive, said that tracks "Ready for the Floor" and "Bendable Poseable" had elements reminiscent of previous album The Warning. The Times
said that although the execution was "novel" and the song "Made in the Dark" was "exquisite", that much of Made in the Dark "seems to spring from sticky relationship issues". Comparisons were also made to Paul McCartney
's McCartney II
album with songs like "Wrestlers", "Bendable Poseable", "Whistle for Will" and "We're Looking for a Lot of Love", which were described as having the "airless proto-electronica" of McCartney II
.
In regards to lyrics, Allmusic said the album "boasts some of Hot Chip's most kinetic
music, with rhythms and melodies that are just as hyper-articulate as the word play
." Rolling Stone
summarised the album as having "catchy tunes, monster grooves, and lyrics resolving the heartfelt and the smartass".
iTunes bonus tracks
iTunes deluxe version bonus tracks
Japanese bonus tracks
Special edition bonus DVD
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Indietronica
Indietronica is a music genre that combines indie, electronica, rock and pop music. Typical instruments used in indietronica music are electronic keyboard, synthesizer, sampler and drum machine...
pop band Hot Chip
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...
. The album, of 13 songs, was released on 4 February 2008 on the EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
label. It peaked at number four on the UK Album Chart, number 25 on the Australian album charts, and entered at number 109 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Several singles have been released from the album, including "Shake a Fist
Shake a Fist
"Shake a Fist" is the first single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 30 August 2007 on 12" vinyl single...
", "Ready for the Floor
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
", which reached number six on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and "One Pure Thought
One Pure Thought
"One Pure Thought" is the third single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 12 May 2008.-Music video:...
".
A defining feature of the album is the strong presence of romantic ballads. The ballad "Made in the Dark" was described as "sublime" by one critic, although not all the ballads received universal praise. Alexis Taylor, the main contributor to the lyrics, stated that he was proud of the album lyrically and felt that feelings of love and happiness, partly the result of his recent marriage, had contributed to the album's romantic tone.
Critics stated that songs such as "Ready for the Floor" and "Bendable Poseable" were reminiscent of their previous release, The Warning
The Warning (Hot Chip album)
The Warning is the second full-length release from the British electronic indie pop band Hot Chip. The album was released in the UK on 22 May 2006 by EMI and in the United States on 3 June 2006 by Astralwerks...
. The style of the album was not considered as big a leap forward as the changes evident between Coming on Strong (2004) to The Warning (2006). It was said that Hot Chip had honed their music by using quirks of their musical style to make more accomplished music, however, some critics felt that the album lacked focus, containing too many varied elements; it was described as "loveable but flawed".
Production
Hot Chip often record their music in a bedroom. However, the band took a different approach in recording Made in the Dark to make it sound "not quite so homemade". Recording took place in a variety of locations, including in-studio and live venues, to make "different acoustic spaces to be obvious to the listener". Lead vocalist Alexis Taylor said there was tension between the band's members, as the band didn't want to continue creating music in the same way, but also didn't want to "throw away a songwriting and production partnership that has worked before." Taylor and vocalist Joe Goddard worked on some of the songs together. Several songs were overdubbedOverdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
with parts of the rest of the band playing.
In regards to editing, Taylor said that Hot Chip have "never really been too good at bothering to get rid of little imperfections in the music"; he felt they added personality and said that "it's good not to be too dogmatic about it if that's what suits the song". Hot Chip used a variety of vocal structures, including layered vocals, where two takes of the same vocals were added together, changed by idiosyncrasies from the way it had been sung, and the doubling of a single performance, shifted out of beat.
Drummer Felix Martin said Made in the Dark was a "true group effort". The process began with Taylor and Goddard creating lyrics, then Goddard would produce parts of tracks, which Alexis would then add "lyrical content and melodies and so on that he’s thought of while he’s on the bus or in the bath or wherever he happened to be". The other three members of Hot Chip, Owen Clarke, Al Doyle, and Felix Martin would then "have some influence on the way the songs are put together."
Some equipment used to create the album remained the same as previous albums—Goddard used Steinberg Cubase SX3 on his laptop and Doyle and Martin worked on songs using Apple Logic in their studio. To create the chorus for "Ready for the Floor", Goddard used plug-ins from Arturia, such as Moog Modular. He used two sound channels to control noise and melody, and placed the noise channel in Cubase and had it follow the melody, to make it "punchier". With "Bendable Poseable", Goddard recorded live percussion parts with a Shure Beta 57A mic going directly into Cubase and "fashioned them into a jittery, three-minute loop". This was emailed to Taylor, who then recorded the main vocals for the song. To create the beat in "Shake a Fist" Martin used the Elektron Machinedrum.
Hot Chip enjoy being a live band and have said it is "something [they've] always tried to do". As the group contains "a lot of different types of musicianship", the band "have to be spontaneous whenever [they] can." Doyle, the guitarist, stated that Hot Chip change the original recordings when playing their music live. At the London-based studio called the Strongroom, "One Pure Thought", "Hold On" and "Shake a Fist" were recorded live, instead of on multitrack
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
, and were subsequently pieced together. This was the first occasion that Hot Chip had recorded music in a studio environment.
Taylor described Made in the Dark as "a real mix of different things" and said that Hot Chip was "learning how to be a different kind of band" while making the album:
Album title
Several titles were considered during production, including "Shot Down in Flames" and "IV". The former was rejected because Martin thought it sounded like a title The Beta BandThe Beta Band
The Beta Band were a British musical group who received much critical acclaim and achieved cult status amongst avid followers of the underground and experimental music scene...
would use. Taylor supported the name "IV" because he liked "giving people the wrong impression all the time", and defended his opinion, saying "if [people] give us any time, they would see that we're very serious about comedy ... and serious things as well". The album was called "Made in the Dark" because it was a title the band agreed on. Taylor considered the eponymous track to be one of his favourite songs, and thought it was nice to name the album after a thoughtful song, in contrast to Coming on Strong
Coming On Strong
Coming on Strong is the debut studio album by English electronic band Hot Chip. It was released in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2004 by Moshi Moshi Records and in the United States and Canada on 29 November 2005 by Astralwerks.-Critical reception:...
and The Warning, which he described as being "big, slightly jokey, macho phrases".
Artwork
Darren Wall (Wallzo) and Owen Clarke designed the artwork after several graphical experiments. After the initial experimentation, Wall wanted to create a cover that was "more brooding and conservative" and formed a list of ideas that the band had responded positively to. The list included dual colour illustrations, circles, and verdigrisVerdigris
Verdigris is the common name for a green pigment obtained through the application of acetic acid to copper plates or the natural patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater over a period of time. It is usually a basic copper carbonate, but near the sea...
—the green coating formed on copper during oxygenation. Wall amalgamated the ideas to create the image used on the album's cover, which was named "The Artifact". The image was embossed on metallic copper card to give a "tactile feel" that would imply the album was "an object rather than illustration-based design."
Musical style
In an interview with Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
in October 2007, Taylor said there would be an equal proportion of electronic elements to live material, as the band doesn't "do things by adding one thing and taking something else away". The album contained maximalist
Maximalist
Maximalist is a quality of excessive redundancy oft exhibited by way of the overt accumulation of appurtenances that reflect current society. In other references the term refers to either the ostentatious displays of the extensive possessions of the super-rich or the obsessive collecting as...
and minimalist songs; several tracks on the album were influenced by rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and the track "Wrestlers" started taking a new direction because the band was "wrestling with the idea of making an R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
kind of slick R and B number" and ultimately "[sounded] more like Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
's "Short People
Short People
"Short People" is a song by Randy Newman from his 1977 album Little Criminals, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The verses and chorus seem to be a pointed attack on the short...
". He said, "if the press release says it's faster and rockier it doesn't account for that fact that there are more ballads on this record than any other record." Taylor said that feelings of happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
and love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
influenced the album's romantic feel.
Goddard considered varying styles and influences a key factor in the band's music. He explained to The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
that creating music could be difficult because a member could introduce a different influence. Goddard and Doyle said that clashes and restlessness during recording led to "unpleasant" periods of silence, but ultimately thought the clashes created "something more interesting because you have these different voices and not one person dictating".
Martin told The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight
The Georgia Straight is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp...
that the group are "afflicted with something akin to musical attention-deficit disorder" and said that the group "get bored quite easily [...] with [their] own records at times". He elaborated by saying that the group aren't "really interested in reproducing the same sound" because they don't find it exciting.
Taylor stated Hot Chip "didn't set out to make something with one mood" and that he thought the band's style of "jump[ing] all over the place stylistically" made sense as a record. In an interview with The Georgia Straight, Martin expressed that Hot Chip didn't want to create a "'classic' record that would have a particular sound" as they wanted to make music that was "quite experimental and out-there". Made in the Dark was intended to represent the "whole live sound of the band" and they are "a band as much as originally having been a duo".
Influences
The album is influenced by music Goddard and Taylor listened to during their childhood and adolescence, such as PrincePrince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's Sign o' the Times and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' White Album. Taylor explained why Hot Chip's albums "go from one mood to another so readily", by saying "Eclectic music
Eclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
has been our first musical background" and that he and Goddard had different musical interests when they were younger. Made in the Dark is influenced by contemporary artists such as Black Dice
Black Dice
Black Dice is an experimental electronic music group currently based in Brooklyn, New York, USA.-Early years:Black Dice formed in spring 1997 soon after guitarist Bjorn Copeland met drummer Hisham Bharoocha and bassist Sebastian Blanck when they were students at the Rhode Island School of Design...
and Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
. Taylor appreciated Oldham for his minimalism of "just acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
and voice for the whole record" and wanted Hot Chip to emulate him.
Lyrics
Taylor stated in an interview with The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
that he was "so proud of [the album] lyrically" and thought the song "Made in the Dark" contained the best lyrics he had ever written. Taylor explained that it was "very easy" for him to focus on the "more serious lyrics, like a love song very dear to [his] heart" but stated that "Wrestlers" was "equally as important and feels like a very different style of music than we have ever got down on record before." He discussed "Wrestlers" in the band's interview with The Sun, explaining that the song is "musically and lyrically quite direct" because "it doesn’t have thousands of layers", in contrast to the song "Bendable Poseable". The concept of the song "Wrestlers", originates from a text message from James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
. After Doyle toured with Murphy, Murphy sent a text message that said, "Sorry you can't have Al back, I'll wrestle you for him. And I'll beat you because I'm bigger and stronger than you." Goddard explained that "the words in that song are about wrestling", and the band "have no doubt" that Murphy would defeat them in a wrestling fight.
The song "Ready for the Floor
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
" contains an allusion to the 1989 film, Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
, with the line, "You're my number one guy". In an interview with The Fader magazine, Taylor said the reference was a result of thinking about the Batman film, which has many things that Taylor is fond of, such as the Prince soundtrack. He commented that sometimes those items "seep into what we're writing about" and said that he likes to reference "in an oblique way". He conjectured that he had included the line to say something to "everyone in the band, particularly to Joe [Goddard], 'You're my number one guy, why is there any problems between any of us?' "
"Shake a Fist" was written by Taylor after Goddard took a legal herbal substance during the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
which produced feelings akin to teleportation. Goddard said, "it was a brilliant time" and told Alexis to write down words to go with his experience. The song features a voice sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
.
Featured collaborators
In March 2008, Hot Chip re-recorded several songs from Made in the Dark, with one of their "all-time heroes", Robert WyattRobert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
. Doyle said the band had wanted it to happen "for ages" and that people would see it as a surprise collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
. Taylor said, "I crave confusion and quite like people to be surprised. I try to do that in the words and music and try to be what people don't think we are. Robert is someone we have liked for much longer than people realise. We feel closer to people in a different field, age or era." The album features Emma Smith, who had previously joined with Hot Chip to play violin and saxophone on their first two albums.
Kylie Minogue
In October 2007, MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reported that Hot Chip was planning to give "Ready for the Floor
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
" to Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
. Other reports incorrectly suggested that Hot Chip
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...
had written Made in the Darks second single, "Ready for the Floor
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
" specifically for Minogue. Taylor explained that it was a misunderstanding; "It started because someone asked me if we would ever write for Kylie. I said that we'd been asked to write for her but we'd never got round to it. And I said if we had to give her one of our songs, "Ready for the Floor" would probably be the most suitable. From that, I got misquoted. We didn't write "Ready for the Floor" for Kylie, didn't send it to her and she never heard it."
After the first rumour circulated, Joe Goddard created a reverse rumour, saying that Minogue had written a track for Hot Chip. He told NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, "Kylie wrote a song for us, She sent it through our management to us – it was totally bizarre. It was the beginnings of a track – I think she wrote it and just thought, 'This would be perfect for Hot Chip', or possibly for a collaboration. It's a crazy song. It's industrial and clanging and even has farmyard animal noises on it. It's the kind of music you'd never normally associate with Kylie. When I'm allowed to send it around its going to change a few people's ideas about her. Maybe it's one for our next album, after Made in the Dark." Taylor later admitted that it was a joke created to fool people because the band were tired of people phoning them up to ask why Minogue had apparently rejected a song she did not hear. Goddard said, "We've been telling lots of lies and rumours about it because we found it quite funny."
In January 2010, Goddard stated that "at the beginning there was some contact. As I recall, we were going to do a session with one of her writers" but both Hot Chip and Minogue were too busy at the time. He added "there was a grain of truth in the beginning, but then it all snowballed into some big silly thing". When asked, in 2010, about giving a song to Minogue, he stated that it would be "amazing".
Release and reception
Made in the Dark charted for 23 weeks in over 10 different charts, entering the UK Album Chart at number four, the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart at number one and the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart at number two. The album, according to Nielsen SoundScanNielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
data reported by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, has sold 47,000 copies and has been certified Gold for UK sales.
"Shake a Fist
Shake a Fist
"Shake a Fist" is the first single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 30 August 2007 on 12" vinyl single...
", the first single to be released from the album, was released on 12" vinyl single at the beginning of October 2007 but did not chart. The second single released, "Ready for the Floor
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
", charted for 24 weeks in five different charts, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Top 75.
Promotion
In January 2008, in order to promote Made in the Dark, Hot Chip "locked [themselves] away" to practice in anticipation of an American tour, where material from their new album would be played. The band are not accustomed to such an intensive rehearsal regime, as they "usually just rehearse for two days and then go on tour".Critical reception
The critical reception to the album was generally favourable. Based on 40 reviews, review aggregate website MetaCriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported a rating of 78%. There were mixed comments about the ballads; two reviewers noted a disparity between the energy of the ballads to different songs. Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
commented that, "ballads remain a strong suit, particularly the easy grace of the title track, but more often than not sit awkwardly next to the more toothsome numbers and feel under-produced by comparison" with similar comments from Allmusic who said, "Made in the Dark’s main weakness might be its ballads, but that may just be in comparison to its many energetic moments, which are so addictive that it feels like a forced come-down whenever the band slows things down." However, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
gave a positive evaluation of the ballads; "Hot Chip have had a happy way with a subliminal power ballad. And Made in the Dark can boast four of the best." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
rated the album as 7/10 with a mixed review, describing it as a "patchy, turbulent record" due to the use of many different individual components and also said that it was a "good record but not a great one". Martin responded to the criticism made by Pitchfork Media:
Another element that caused mixed reception was the use of a Todd Rundgren sample in "Shake a Fist", which musicOMH.com called "delightful" but The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described it as grating. musicOMH.com, whose description of the album was positive, said that tracks "Ready for the Floor" and "Bendable Poseable" had elements reminiscent of previous album The Warning. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said that although the execution was "novel" and the song "Made in the Dark" was "exquisite", that much of Made in the Dark "seems to spring from sticky relationship issues". Comparisons were also made to Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's McCartney II
McCartney II
McCartney II is the third album by Paul McCartney, and the first since the formation of Wings in 1971. It was released in 1980, a year before the band's dissolution and while their future lay in limbo...
album with songs like "Wrestlers", "Bendable Poseable", "Whistle for Will" and "We're Looking for a Lot of Love", which were described as having the "airless proto-electronica" of McCartney II
McCartney II
McCartney II is the third album by Paul McCartney, and the first since the formation of Wings in 1971. It was released in 1980, a year before the band's dissolution and while their future lay in limbo...
.
In regards to lyrics, Allmusic said the album "boasts some of Hot Chip's most kinetic
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
music, with rhythms and melodies that are just as hyper-articulate as the word play
Word play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
summarised the album as having "catchy tunes, monster grooves, and lyrics resolving the heartfelt and the smartass".
Track listing
All songs written by Hot Chip, except where noted.- "Out at the Pictures" – 4:26
- "Shake a FistShake a Fist"Shake a Fist" is the first single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 30 August 2007 on 12" vinyl single...
" (Hot Chip, Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
) – 5:11 - "Ready for the FloorReady for the Floor"Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark...
" – 3:52 - "Bendable Poseable" – 3:46
- "We're Looking for a Lot of Love" – 4:43
- "Touch Too Much" – 4:05
- "Made in the Dark" – 3:00
- "One Pure ThoughtOne Pure Thought"One Pure Thought" is the third single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 12 May 2008.-Music video:...
" – 4:53 - "Hold On" – 6:20
- "Wrestlers" – 3:45
- "Don't Dance" – 4:42
- "Whistle for Will" – 2:23
- "In the Privacy of Our Love" – 2:52
iTunes bonus tracks
- "So Deep" – 2:34
- "With Each New Day" – 2:58
iTunes deluxe version bonus tracks
- "Touch Too Much" (Fake BloodTheo KeatingTheo Keating, also known as Touché and Fake Blood, is a British DJ, musician and music producer who made his name as one half of The Wiseguys, a British hip hop/big beat band, together with Paul Eve...
Remix) – 5:52 - "Hold On" (SwitchSwitch (DJ)Switch is a UK-based DJ, songwriter, sound engineer and record producer. He is best known for his work with M.I.A. and Santigold.In the fidget house genre, Switch runs his own music label "Dubsided", as well as the label Counterfeet, established in 2006 with fellow producer Sinden...
LDN Remix) – 4:01 - "Touch Too Much" (Ewan PearsonEwan PearsonEwan Pearson is an English electronic music producer/remixer who works under various aliases including Maas, Sulky Pup, Villa America, World of Apples, and Dirtbox. He is also in Partial Arts with Al Usher. He has remixed for artists such as Cortney Tidwell, Seelenluft, Ladytron, Depeche Mode,...
Remix) – 9:32 - "Wrestlers" (Video) – 3:59
- West Coast Tour Documentary – 17:25
Japanese bonus tracks
- "Bubbles They Bounce" – 5:53
- "My Brother Is Watching Me" – 3:49
Special edition bonus DVD
- "Shake a Fist" (Live at Melt!Melt! festivalThe Melt! Festival is a music festival in Germany. The music that is played is described by the organizers as Electronic meets Rock.-Location:Since 1999 the festival is held in Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen Germany....
) - "And I Was a Boy from SchoolBoy From School"Boy from School" is a single by Hot Chip, released on 27 June 2006, from Hot Chip's second album, The Warning. The original title of the song was "And I Was a Boy from School", however, this was shortened on the request of EMI...
" (Live at Melt!) - "Hold On" (Live at the Electric BallroomElectric BallroomThe Electric Ballroom is a performance venue and indoor market located at 184 Camden High Street in Camden Town, London . The Electric Ballroom has been in operation for over seventy years, during which time it has been used in many different ways.The two storey building has two dance floors and...
) - "One Pure Thought" (Live at Glastonbury FestivalGlastonbury FestivalThe Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
) - "Over and OverOver and Over (Hot Chip song)"Over and Over" was the first single from Hot Chip's second album The Warning. It was released twice in the UK in 2006 - first reaching number 32 in March and number 27 in October.-Music video:...
" (Live at Glastonbury Festival)
Personnel
- Dan Carey – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Owen Clarke – design
- Jonathan Digby – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Ian Dowling – engineer (assistant)
- Matt Edwards – A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
- Joe Goddard – mix control
- James Shaw – engineer (assistant)
- Darren Simpson – engineer (assistant)
- Alexis Smith – mixing (assistant)
- Emma Smith – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - Wallzo – design
- Alexis Taylor – vocals, synthesizer, guitar, percussion, piano
- Joe Goddard – vocals, synthesizer, percussion
- Owen Clarke – guitar, bass
- Al Doyle – guitar, synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals
- Felix Martin – drum machines
Album
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
25 |
| Belgium Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
25 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
89 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
34 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
9 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
35 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
109 |
| U.S. Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
1 |
| U.S Top Electronic Albums Top Electronic Albums Dance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five... |
2 |
Singles
| Song | Chart peak positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart |
Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK Download Chart |
|
| "Shake a Fist Shake a Fist "Shake a Fist" is the first single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 30 August 2007 on 12" vinyl single... " |
— | — | — | — |
| "Ready for the Floor Ready for the Floor "Ready for the Floor" is the Grammy Award-nominated second single by the British Electronic group Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark... " |
73 | 22 | 6 | 9 |
| "One Pure Thought One Pure Thought "One Pure Thought" is the third single released by Hot Chip from their 2008 album Made in the Dark. It was released on 12 May 2008.-Music video:... " |
— | — | 53 | — |
| "Wrestlers" | — | — | — | — |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
External links
- Made in the Dark at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....