Tom Lynch

British electropop group Hot Chip broke through with its second record in 2006, the charming, beat-happy “The Warning,” and this year’s “Made in the Dark” is even better. Other than being a total good-time feel-good party-dance record, Hot Chip’s execution here, its ability to cram multiple catchy melodies into one four-minute pop jaunt, is a talent to behold. “Shake a Fist,” “Ready for the Floor” and “One Pure Thought,” most likely the group’s highest achievements thus far, infect your brain, a virus of synthetics and alarmingly contagious vocal melodies. Live, Hot Chip’s show is bold, hopped-up jollity, with a strange, unexpected level of sweetness that the band isn’t afraid to conceal. New York’s Growing opens, a project that started with hypnotizing drone material but has advanced to more rhythmic compositions, and “All the Way,” the group’s new record, plays with this newfound experimentation. The matching of both acts will make for an interesting night. (Tom Lynch)

Hot Chip plays with Growing September 28-29 at Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)275-6800, at 8pm.

(2008-09-23)

Also by Tom Lynch

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
Last year’s Hideout Block Party sticks in my memory for two reasons. One, when The Frames’ Glen Hansard played his “Falling Slowly” song from the film “Once,” the crowd singing its cathartic chorus back to him in unison, it was one of the more touching moments of live music I’ve seen in recent years. But more importantly, the communal atmosphere of the setup, the overall sweeping blanket of togetherness that Hideout’s annual two-day party provides, prevails in my mind. It simply has what most live music festivals do not: heart
(2008-09-16)

Tip of the Week
Iceland’s mysterious, massively beautiful quartet Sigur Ros returned earlier this summer with another breathtaking opus, the energizing “Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust” (“With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”), which sees the band changing direction a bit, somewhat ditching its well-trodden road of ethereality and glacial soundscapes and charging ahead into pop construction and actual hooks
(2008-09-16)

Soundcheck
If the strongest musical bonds between musicians are formed at an early stage, then local five-piece The Names That Spell have a serious advantage. Having played together since each member was in his early teens, everything has led to this moment: the self-released “A & R,” an attractive assemblage of countless instruments, a kind-of-indie-pop record with a delirious determination to explore the outer realms
(2008-09-09)

Tip of the Week
One of the strongest local records released this year, Bound Stems’ “The Family Afloat,” the follow-up to its extraordinary 2006 release “Appreciation Night,” again on Flameshovel, warrants repeated listens, each more rewarding than the last
(2008-09-09)

Tip of the Week
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Getting There
(2008-09-02)

Tip of the Week
(2008-09-02)

Tip of the Week
(2008-08-19)

Tip of the Week
(2008-08-19)

Tip of the Week
(2008-08-13)

Language Art
(2008-08-13)

Scientific Fact
(2008-08-05)

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