In indie rock, there's a time-tested tradition of tacking tongue-in-cheek titles onto unassuming works.
It comes as some surprise then that Hot Chip's "Made in the Dark" sounds exactly like its title would suggest. A blind patchwork of disco, rock, soul and hip-hop, the album plays like a sloppy mix tape.
While there are outright bad songs, it's the signs of promise that make the outcome disappointing.
The quiet melody of the title track brings Alexis Taylor's stellar vocals to the fore, while the infectious polyrhythms of "Hold On" enhance the song's jarring hooks.
Likewise, the foot-tapping electro pulses of "Out at the Pictures" and "Shake a Fist" sound genuinely unique. Steve Jobs doesn't get this much from a laptop.
But forays into R&B, most notably on "Wrestlers," fail so spectacularly that one could almost pass them off as jokes if not for the band's seriousness.
Sincerity is welcomed when joined by results, yet the mish-mash nature of "Made" shows Hot Chip is still waiting for a light to go on.
