HOT CHIP
MADE IN THE DARK
(EMI)

Coming off the critical adulation of 2006's The Warning and the buzz surrounding their shape-shifting, high-energy, live performances, Hot Chip burst out of the playhouse with Made In the Dark, an album stuffed with a smorgasbord of dance-pop baubles. While initial reports indicated that the quintet would be adopting a more aggressive approach, that stylistic permutation only accounts for the more upbeat numbers, such as lead single "Shake a Fist," with its rumbling percussion and dark synthesizer whizzes. Elsewhere, they dip into R. Kelly-style R&B ("Wrestlers"), dive into disco ("Hold On"), slip into sultry piano ballads (the title track) and soar throughout.