Hot Chip

There's far more to London's Hot Chip than the most convenient tag for their sound — electro-pop — at first implies. Sure, they've got that priceless knack for beats, tweaks, and blips that makes a track like "Ready for the Floor" such a cast-iron dance-floor-filler (as it turns, the tune was nearly hijacked by Kylie Minogue — a telling vote of confidence in its structural perfection). But the outfit is just as comfortable drifting on melancholy seas ("No") or crossing into unsettling techno territory, all synths blazing ("Out at the Pictures"). The mesmerizing falsetto of Alexis Taylor, who shares vocal duties with the deeper-toned Joe Goddard, gives Hot Chip a distinct edge.