Hot Chip Dancing With Monks In "Night & Day"

The U.K. electro-poppers Hot Chip have unveiled the video for their new single, "Night and Day," the first single from the electronic band's forthcoming fifth LP, "In Our Heads," due on June 11th via DominoRecords. The Indie dance outfit's new clip is an assortment of weird goings-on, including a line-up of choreographed monks taking part in two weirdly complementary spaceships battle.
The trippy, funk-on-overdrive track is described in publicity materials as "weird-ass disco," which then adds: "The song is driven by a menacing yet supremely danceable bassline, while Alexis's digitally-messed up vocals float beautifully above it all like the ghost of Marvin Gaye." The tune was released on June 11th in the UK and the following day in the US. The London synth lovers show up in their own music video as well.
Let's take the video first. Like "Night and Day" itself, the spacey clip is fantastically ambitious, technically precise, mostly entertaining, and yet still a bit frustrating in its arch impenetrability. Directed by British comedy hero Peter Serafinowicz and features guest appearances from British actor Terence Stamp, beatboxing comic Reggie Watts and supermodel Lara Stone, the clip boasts an abomination of monks worshipping an egg-shaped deity through the medium of synchronized dance.
Flight of the Navigator-style spaceships to match the song's wobbly synths, urgent pulse, and limber hook. As with the song's standout "Zapp not Zappa" moment, however, the video ultimately feels slightly like it's talking past us, although villain-guy Stamp lip-syncing to the band's words "Do I look like a rapper?" is a fun touch, and the whole thing is definitely worth watching if you're at all a fan. The inexplicable video have grabbed the attention of hyper-literate Internet commenters, but one stunner is not to be overlooked.