Hot Chip – A Bath Full of Ecstasy

There when the rock kids started listening to Daft Punk and synthesizers conquered the world, London’s Hot Chip were at the foundation of the Casio revolution alongside the likes of LCD Soundsystem. While they’ve never gotten quite as big as their biggest peers, they’ve also never left, delivering beautiful & danceable records for years now. A Bath Full of Ecstasy continues that – and lives up to its name.

This comes right from the get go in opener “Melody of Love” and its warm, enveloping beauty. That and the title track are the most relaxed, along with sunny closer “No God”, but there’s also more straightforward Hot Chip, even if one could have found such songs as “Spell” on prior releases (or from other artists, who are clearly influenced by Hot Chip). Yet the album reaches its peak the perfect “echo of your beauty” in “Echo” and the wonderfully airy yet wise “Positive”.

Hot Chip have been danceable for years, and A Bath Full of Ecstasy certainly is that – but it’s also wonderful if you’re lying down in the tub.