In both cases the lyrics guide the listener, as if to explain the music. It's the reverse of a movie soundtrack: here, the music is the focus while the words are background color.

But I never gave much thought to why I like this stuff until listening to Hot Chip's latest. As a drummer, I've always loved hearing new sonic textures and thick, layered beats — but there's definitely more to it.

I can't read while someone is talking to me. I can't write while listening to lyric-heavy music like, say, Bob Dylan. Similarly, it's hard to both listen to a ballad like the Mountain Goats' "Dance Music" without playing through the storyline in your mind. But instrumental-based dance songs like Hot Chip's "Over and Over" inject maybe 25 words for your consideration and then back off, letting you dig the music.

From the chorus: 

Over and over ... like a monkey with a miniature cymbal
The joy of repetition really is in you.

The scattered dance music of Out Hud and Hot Chip is adventurous enough to be physically engaging. Restless, colorful textures keep your head awake and your limbs twitching. But because words take the back seat, it's also mentally relaxing — the joy of repetition.