Hot Chip wants you for the long haul

According to iTunes, I have listened to "Over and Over" from Hot Chip's 2006 album "The Warning" more than 500 times. In fact, it is the most listened-to song in my music library. I may pretend to have refined taste, but the play count doesn't lie: I have been seduced by one stupidly catchy dance track.

The irony in replaying a song called "Over and Over" has not been lost on me. Nor has the fact that the lyrics - "Like a monkey with a miniature cymbal / The joy of repetition really is in you" - seem directed at an obsessive. I get it: I'm a spellbound monkey, and Hot Chip is my hypnotic master. As a tongue-in-cheek guide to the making of the perfect dance hit (hint: Employ repetition and throw in some sexual references), "Over and Over" is a kind of masterpiece. The throbbing beat and mindless chanting are tailor-made for an ecstasy-fueled rave - or, really, any kind of repetitive action. I can attest, for instance, that "Over and Over" plus an elliptical machine equals workout nirvana. Rocky Balboa had Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger"; I have Hot Chip.

But what's a band to do after it has created arguably the best club/gym anthem of the decade? For Hot Chip, the answer is a little of everything. The London-based quintet suffered from an identity crisis on their 2008 follow-up, "Made in the Dark." Some songs explored the R&B influences of previous records; others continued in the manic-dance vein. And still others simply messed around with weird studio noises. The end product lacked both focus and - with the exception of "Ready for the Floor" - any song that could hold a candle to "Over and Over."

Now, on their fourth album, Hot Chip has streamlined its sound. There are still plenty of groove-worthy numbers, but in general, "One Life Stand" is a more subdued endeavor. This is due in part to the sentimentalism of the lyrics; vocalists Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, who have hitherto toed the line between ironic and twee, have now turned into full-fledged romantics. Sometimes, this is charming. "Alley Cats" is a tender meditation on a couple at a crossroads, underscored by a three-part harmony that evokes "And I Was a Boy From School," the other A-list hit from "The Warning." But sometimes the love stuff is just cloying. "Brothers" - a painfully earnest ode to bromance, begging for an accompanying Paul Rudd montage - is a lifeless dud. The same goes for the aptly titled "Slush."

It's not just the ballads that deal with big emotions. Hot Chip wears its heart on its sleeve even in the up-tempo dance tracks, giving the album a newfound sense of cohesion. Unfortunately, this cohesion comes at the expense of any memorable singles. Unlike previous Hot Chip albums, all the songs seem related - and inoffensive bordering on bland. The two best songs, "Thieves in the Night" and the title track, are synth-heavy tracks that will more than suffice on the dance floor. They're fun and disco-inspired but also pretty restrained. Gone are the twinkly bells of "Over and Over" or the bouncy-ball thwacks of "Ready for the Floor," which helped make those songs such strange earworms. In its place are some well-crafted, late-'90s-style house tunes. If "I Feel Better," "We Have Love" and "Keep Quiet" sound a lot alike, it's because they seem drawn from the same era's playlist: part Cher, part Daft Punk, part Moby.

"One Life Stand" is a solid effort and one that is likely to grow on you, but those looking for another megahit are bound to be disappointed. Still, as the album title and monogamy-themed lyrics imply, Hot Chip is tired of being your favorite one-hit wonder.

3 Paws

Pros: Decent electro-pop with several solid dance tracks.