Though wholly deserved, it was a little surprising to find our favorite bedroom nerd-rockers Hot Chip on the cusp of huge fame last year. Their album The Warning went gold in the UK, a Mercury Music Prize nomination followed, and sold-out shows across the US and Europe became the norm. This from fellows who record in a London bedsit and look like they walked out of the Dell engineer's cafeteria. As a sold-out crowd at Antone's last May attested to, the group's unique mix of electronics, blue-eyed soul, club bangers, and indie-rock captivated many worldwide searching for a new voice. Hot Chip have always claimed that they loved lots of music, but that nobody made the exact music that they wanted to listen to. And their pastiche of their influences backed the statement up - critics weren't sure what to compare them to. But they sure loved them....

Alexis Taylor & Co. were almost laughably adorable when they warned us, "Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head," but with Made in the Dark they've lived up to their promise. The album begins with an ode to the low end, a sonic challenge to the listener, and the intensity doesn't let up: "Shake a Fist" asserts the band as much more than a smooth electronic dance outfit. As Todd Rundgren's goofy voice (how fitting) interjects midway through the track, we're asked to grab a set of headphones......

Image from Sondre Lerche’s MySpace Sondre Lerche & Dan WilsonFriday, November 16The Parish Room (214 East Sixth Street)$15 Advance; Doors 8 p.m.[info] | [tickets] Sondre Lerche (pronounced lair-kay) is hailed as a something of a wonderkid in his native Norway. The child prodigy started receiving guitar lessons at the age of eight, and his keen ear for melody along with his songwriting ability led to couple of EP’s early in his career for Virgin Norway.......

Do we need to explain this contest? Hot Chip are coming. We implore you to go and see them. And we have a pair of tickets for one lucky reader. Austinist Interviews Joe Goddard of Hot Chip Hot Chip's The Warning Takes #3 on Austinist's Top 15 Albums of 2006 Austinist Glowingly Reviews Hot Chip's The Warning Hot Chip Nominated For Mercury Music Prize Hot Chip Blow The Roof Off New York's Webster Hall......

Saturday evenings at SXSW are usually a disappointment. Everyone is tired, bands are weary, and lines seem to be at a peak. Last year, our Saturday was completely transformed when we attended Hot Chip's showcase at The Parish. Despite some equipment troubles, the band's mix of electronics, enthusiasm, and tough-guy lyrics had the crowd dancing and roaring approval to the point that the floor quaked. Since then, the group have won NME's single of......

I'm not sure if today would be the day to go shopping at Waterloo or not, but if you do go, check out today's new releases: Bloc Party A Weekend In the City (Vice) The story of bands like Bloc Party is familiar, but still depends upon a sort of mystery to come to fruition. Whereas the huge fame and irrepressible buzz seemed to propel them into official stardom, the stress and anguish that......

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.......

Badly Drawn Boy - Born In The UK (Astralwerks): If Talking Heads were last year's band to emulate, The Boss is certainly the sound of 2006. After seeing a great Springsteen record from The Hold Steady and a suspect one from The Killers, we now find Brit Damon Gough wrapping himself in the English flag and turning up the shiny, Human Touch-style production. Unfortunately, Badly Drawn Boy's main charm were his lo-fi early songs......

Hot Chip destroyed the room that night not with their looks (they don't have them) or a huge production (the instruments broke repeatedly), but with simple, unsuppressable enthusiasm. They looked dorky, they dressed horribly, yet there they were, playing this crazy electronic-pop-soul-r&b hybrid that made the crowd explode in admiration and bouncy dancing....

Sondre Lerche has made no secret of who his influences are; in interviews and in his own candid online diary, he often praises the likes of Elvis Costello, Prefab Sprout, Chet Baker, and even Steely Dan. He praises them all for good reason, of course. Lerche’s previous two albums, Faces Down (2002) and Two-Way Monologue (2004), were quirky pop creations that illuminated the depth of his songwriting abilities and the sweet qualities of his voice.......