Shake A Fist

I recently grabbed the new Hot Chip tune, “Shake A Fist,” due for a 12” release sometime this month and after a few listens, I still can’t decide how I feel about it.

Just last night, I was thinking that “Over and Over” defined Summer ’06 for me. And while I loved that song and realize that this one will probably click after a few more listens, it’s just different than what I think of when I think of Hot Chip.

The middle part, AKA the "sounds of the studio," is an experiment within a song. It’s a far cry from anything on their previous two albums. I love the heavy bass and grimey sounds but I’m confused about the evolution.

I do recall that when we saw them in March at Webster Hall, their new material seemed to have taken a turn into harder, more danceable, dare I say, ravey territory, but I was a big fan of their melancholic, lap-pop, bleep and glitch numbers too (unlike the folks at Fluxblog apparently, though I found their review quite amusing.)

Check it out for yourself and decide.