Shake a Fist

"Shake a Fist" is a song by English electronic music band Hot Chip from their third studio album, Made in the Dark (2008). It was released on 23 October 2007 as the album's lead single. The song was almost included on Hot Chip's second studio album, The Warning (2006).[1]

"Shake a Fist"
Single by Hot Chip
from the album Made in the Dark
Released23 October 2007 (2007-10-23)
Genre
Length5:11
LabelAstralwerks
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Hot Chip
Hot Chip singles chronology
"My Piano"
(2007)		 "Shake a Fist"
(2007)		 "Ready for the Floor"
(2008)

Composition

Alexis Taylor stated that the lyrics, "I move underwater, I eat what I slaughter", were formed as a result of him "imagining what it would be like to take salvia divinorum", which Joe Goddard had taken at Glastonbury Festival.[2]

Critical reception

"Shake a Fist" was described by The Guardian as a "brooding, industrial, 12-inch introduction to Made in the Dark".[3] Prefix described the song as having "squeaky synths and a laid back bass line playing sidekick to ominous urban jungle drums" with vocals that have "a well defined power dynamic", whilst BBC Music said the song "blends terrific acidic bass [with] jagged snares" and has "shamanic backing vocals".[4][5] The Irish Times characterised "Shake a Fist" as "a dizzy skyscraper of a track, full to the brim with sonic smarts and tricks yet hard-wired to a snaking, nagging groove".[6]

A sample of Todd Rundgren's voice was used as a result of Al Doyle and Alexis Taylor being fans of Rundgren's third solo album, Something/Anything? (1972).[1] The reception to the sample was mixed; musicOMH called it "delightful", but The Guardian dubbed it "grated".[7][8] The Toronto Star highlighted "Shake a Fist" as a "top track", and described the song as "more intense and vaguely threatening than anything they've done before", although the use of the Todd Rundgren sample was described as "intrusive".[9]

Track listing
  • US limited-edition 12" single
  1. "Shake a Fist" – 5:10

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States 23 October 2007 12" single Astralwerks [10]

References
  1. Leijon, Erik (2 April 2008). "Hot Chip Benefit From Big Record Collections". ChartAttack. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. Fitzpatrick, Rob (19 January 2008). "Reel players". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  3. Swash, Rosie (22 January 2008). "Ready for a fall, Hot Chip rise to expectations". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  4. Klingman, Jeff (24 September 2007). "Track Review: Hot Chip "Shake a Fist"". Prefix. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  5. Thomas, Lou (31 January 2008). "Review of Hot Chip – Made In The Dark". BBC Music. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  6. Carroll, Jim (25 January 2008). "Hear Hot Chip Here". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  7. Ahmad, Jamil (2008). "Hot Chip – Made In The Dark". musicOMH. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  8. Macpherson, Alex (1 February 2008). "Hot Chip, Made in the Dark". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  9. Rayner, Ben (5 February 2008). "Hot Chip: Made in the Dark". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  10. "Hot Chip: Shake a Fist [Vinyl]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
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