Well, we've now had about a week to live with Hot Chip's new album 'Made In The Dark'.
In these modern times of 'exclusive' this and 'first listen' that — undoubtedly accelerated by the rise and immediacy of online 'blogging', and an obsession with 'being there first' regardless of quality or depth of analysis — there have been many exciting new developments for the reader, but one of the sacrifices has been a distancing from the art of record reviewing. Kneejerk reactions, half-formed thoughts, missed reference points and a failure to really get to grips with the story behind an album — these are all, sadly, part of the modern record reviewer's working day.
Rather than rushing to throw a series of ill-formed opinions into the cyber-ether, we've allowed ourselves to really live with this album — to get to know its nuances, its hidden treasures and its unsignposted depths. It's a rare luxury in which today's record reviewers, preoccupied with wordcounts, deadlines and the increased demands of modern journalism, rarely indulge.
So now we can present a fair and in-depth review of an album.
7.5 / 10.