Love and Everything Else

Joe Goddard, of Hot Chip fame, has returned to his solo project, his latest endeavor resulting in Electric Lines. Keeping in line with his previous work, the new album is littered with influence and remnants of Hot Chip while at the same time remaining  true to its own form.

The album opens with “Ordinary Madness,” with its own laid-back intro that really takes off once the lyrics are introduced. Everything about the track makes it a perfect summertime anthem: the beat, the crooning lyrics on love and the overall “good vibes” mentality. “Lose Your Love” follows, almost contradicting the setup established in the intro. While everything begins to gradually slow down, we are allowed some time for reflection, as Goddard is not shy of showing how passionate his feelings are for this genre early on in the album. The richness of the emotions embedded in the music never lets up from here and continues to spill into the next song “Home,” the lead single for the album, and even to the final song “Music is the Answer,” an all too appropriate title to end on.

Electric Lines, at its heart, is just pure emotion. With every song, each rise and fall fills its space with a feeling, some easily identified, others not so much, yet always able to strike an exact chord. With Electric Lines, there is a journey that follows a balancing act between the electronic and organic elements, which are mostly found within the lyrics. At many points, the music can be found leaning towards one end of either spectrum, but it always finds its way back to equilibrium. This approach is clearly shaped by Goddard’s years in Hot Chip, other side projects and his time spent manipulating R&B roots and club music, helping him to hit all the right notes on his new record.