Hot Chip @ Terminal 5

Two songs into Hot Chip's recent gig in NYC, and I regretted not tripping on X. But with every great rendition of each song of their new album, Made In the Dark, and the temperature rising amidst the crowd of Chipheads bobbin' to the sultry sounds emanating from the speakers, I figured I would have probably died before even hearing their nasty break-down of "Hold On."

The quintet hailing from the UK, with an already well-established following in the States since their last gig at Webster Hall, keep pushing the boundaries of their own tracks at every show they perform. With the exquisite qualities of each song in the new record, the show could have really gone either way, disappointing over-enthusiastic fans or taking them on a sweet electronic ride; or in their case, causing one TOTAL, mind-fucking, roller-coaster musical experience. "Shake a Fist," "Out at the Pictures," and "Ready for the Floor" were distorted in a new light that their initial genius a new appealing aspect. But they really fucking nailed it with "Hold On," which was originally my favorite track on the album, by completely tearing up the rhythm, starting by speaking out the lyrics of the song with absolutely no back up from any of the instruments. Because it is arguably the most dance-ready track of the lot, the tension in the crowd was soaring. We were all hanging on to the edge of temporary insanity unable to figure out where this song was going. 

And they kept the crowd hot until the end, when they started off "In the Privacy of Our Love" with Sinnead O' Connor's "Nothing Compares To You." This was the ultimate cathartical orgasm to the intense sonically sexual experience I had just been a part of. No drugs, just sound.