Hot Chip’s leading man Alexis Taylor is an experimental powerhouse. Between his unconventional music videos, his lyrical honesty, and his gift for crafting irresistible tracks that mix danceable precision with tongue-in-cheek goofiness and emotional sensitivity, he has always relentlessly pushed the boundaries of the strange.
All this has heightened anticipation of new solo album, _Beautiful Thing._ A careful curation of sound and sense, _Beautiful Thing_ is an introspective reflection of Taylor's response to change within his own life. It drops on [April 20 via Domino](http://www.dominorecordco.com/uk/news/19-02-18/alexis-taylor-announces-new-album-beautiful-thing/) and it's his first solo album with producer Tim Goldsworthy, co-founder of Mo Wax DFA Recordings and member of UNKLE.
Taylor has long experimented with collaboration. He plays in About Group, an improvisational rock band formed by Alexis himself, members of Spiritualized and This Heat. Additionally, Alexis can be found in David Byrne’s Atomic Bomb! Band, covering the music of the enigmatic cult Nigerian musician, William Onyeabor. Naturally, Alexis has not stopped there. He has managed to also collaborate with, produce and remix a vast number of artists over the years, including Katy Perry, Scritti Politti, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Simian Mobile Disco, and Kraftwerk.
Ahead of the album's release, we had Alexis take us for a walk in his shoes as he toured California and explored LA.
Wednesday - Here is a photo of a cross-section of one of the giant coast redwood trees in Muir Woods, San Francisco, with timeline of US historical events.
Thursday - This is a photo taken on stage as Hot Chip soundchecked in San Francisco for our only show of 2018, for Cartier who make fancy watches. We didn’t re-visit our Wiley cover ‘Wearing My Rolex.’
Saturday - I am standing in front of one of my favourites places in Los Angeles here: Mark Mothersbough of Devo’s Mutato Muzica Studios, on Sunset Boulevard. The first time I passed this amazing circular building I then saw him walking down the street moments later with his family. He commented on my wife’s big trousers (Comme des Garçons) and said next time why not stop in at the studio. I feel too shy to take him up on the offer.
Saturday - Here is a photo of Los Angeles seen at night time, from the Griffith Observatory. We went in search of coyotes, whilst whistling the song of the same name, by Don Edwards.
Sunday - I’m walking here with my daughter at the Rose Bowl Flea, carrying a new aquisition, the small brief case version of the same case I lugged around Wales in the ‘Beautiful Thing’ video.
Sunday - One of my favourite soundtrack records, featuring the great ‘Pink Elephants On Parade’, found at the Rose Bowl Flea. Black Lodge re-visited this track a couple of times to great effect.
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Written by Megan Rafferty
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