Hot Hot Heat Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Next to the Strokes, Hot Hot Heat was the most pop-minded out of all the bands reviving garage rock and new wave in the early 2000s. It made sense that after the indie success of Make Up the Breakdown, they graduated to a major label for their second album, Elevator, which found them broadening their sound at the expense of the hooky songwriting that made them successful in the first place. Some of the same problems crop up on Happiness Ltd., albeit for slightly different reasons. Elevator's disappointing reception seems to have inspired the band to return to Make Up the Breakdown's energetic style, while keeping the clean, relatively lush production of Elevator and continuing to experiment with different directions on Happiness Ltd. The result is a muddled album that gets even farther away from Hot Hot Heat's former glory even as it tries to recapture it. It wasn't just the sound of Make Up the Breakdown that people responded to -- although its charmingly high-strung vibe was as fresh as a band reinterpreting the best of new wave could be. The pure momentum and focus that Hot Hot Heat's debut had was a big part of what made that debut album so irresistible, and what is still missing from Happiness Ltd. So, while "Let Me In," "Harmonicas & Tambourines," and "5 Times Out of 100" (which originally appeared on the Knock Knock Knock EP) superficially recapture some of Breakdown's sound, they don't tap into what really made the album special. As on Elevator, Happiness Ltd.'s standout tracks find the band following their bliss, even if it doesn't sound exactly like what they did before. "Outta Heart" is wryly confessional, a ballad written by someone not used to writing ballads -- which is exactly why it's so appealing. Likewise, "Give Up?" and "Conversation"'s flashes of anger feel genuine and decisive on an album where too many songs are stuck in an emotional rut (the title track and the all-too-aptly named "Waiting for Nothing" bookend the album with unsatisfying moping). Meanwhile, the Wings-esque "A Good Day to Die" and spry melody of "So So Cold" show that Hot Hot Heat has the ability to pull off a more sophisticated pop sound without losing any of their bite. Commercially unwise as it may be, it might have been better for the band to truly commit to a more layered, mature sound on this album, rather than hedging their bets. Hot Hot Heat was a great band and they still could be, if they pick a direction rather than lingering at Happiness Ltd.'s musical crossroads. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After finishing the follow-up to their breakout album Make Up the Breakdown, Hot Hot Heat lost guitarist Dante DeCaro, but there's something even more crucial missing from Elevator: charismatic songwriting. Make Up the Breakdown was bursting with it; each song took their new wave/post-punk/pop influences in breathlessly twisty, wordy, unexpected directions. That album was also a model of economy, packing a huge amount of ideas and energy into a svelte 10-song tracklisting. Elevator, Hot Hot Heat's Sire Records debut, is also pretty speedy, burning through 15 tracks in just under 38 minutes, but its fast pace doesn't hide the fact that its songs just aren't as interesting as they could be (and especially in comparison to Make Up the Breakdown). On first listen, tracks like "Goodnight Goodnight" and "Jingle Jangle" seem like they should be as wiry and witty as the band's best material, but they -- and too much of the rest of Elevator -- just don't stick. The lack of memorable songwriting is the album's biggest problem, but Elevator's glossy, fussy production (courtesy of Dave Sardy, who usually has a golden touch with this kind of music and seemed like a perfect fit for Hot Hot Heat on paper) runs a close second. The spiky urgency that added an extra punch to the band's insanely catchy melodies is softened and blunted, and once again, the fullness of the sound doesn't disguise the fact that a lot of the songs here feel underdeveloped. However, there are a flashes of Hot Hot Heat's breathless pop brilliance: the panicky opener "Running Out of Time" and pouty single "You Owe Me an IOU" are just as hooky and smart as Hot Hot Heat's previous bests. With its choppy verses and sunny choruses, "Island of the Honest Man" opens up the band's sound and is one of the few tracks (along with "Elevator" itself) that actually makes good use of the album's expansive production. Elevator improves on its second half, where a string of moody, almost-ballads like "Middle of Nowhere," "Dirty Mouth," "Soldier in a Box" and the title track bring some much-needed edge and focus, though it comes almost too late. The album has enough really good songs for an amazing mini-album or EP (and indeed, the band's Knock Knock Knock EP remains a high point in Hot Hot Heat's discography). While it's far from being truly bad, Elevator is a disappointment, and a perplexing one: everything seems to be more or less in the right place, but still doesn't quite fit together. Unfortunately, it's a case where a so-so album is almost worse -- and definitely more frustrating -- than an outright disaster. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Make Up the Breakdown'
Release Date 10/8/2002
Tracks 10
Label Sub Pop
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Picking up where the Knock Knock Knock EP left off, Make Up the Breakdown completes Hot Hot Heat's transformation from a purveyor of the noisy synth-punk displayed on the band's debut into a polished, but still edgy, pop group. Where some of their contemporaries delve into '60s garage or '70s post-punk, Hot Hot Heat specializes in re-creating and reinvigorating the new wave of the late '70s and early '80s -- not the overly hairsprayed and eyelinered variety, but the geeky, abrasive pop pioneered by Elvis Costello, the Cars, Joe Jackson, and especially XTC, whose Drums & Wires and English Settlement seem to have been particularly influential on Make Up the Breakdown. The album's shiny but unobtrusive production adds to its retro quality -- it sounds like it's been hiding since 1981 and was just unearthed recently. That only adds to the charm of paranoid pop songs like "No, Not Now," "Bandages," and "Oh Goddamnit," which, with their tense hooks and witty wordplay, come close to matching the greatness of their influences. Fortunately, Hot Hot Heat avoids sounding merely derivative because of the vitality and enthusiasm the band brings to its music -- virtually every track on Make Up the Breakdown bristles with nervous energy and catchy melodies that are entirely the group's own. Indeed, that the album packs so many tightly wound pop songs into just over half an hour is both a blessing and a curse -- on the first few listens, Make Up the Breakdown tends to whiz by in a blur of yelped, Andy Partridge-esque vocals and angular riffs and rhythms. It's not until the final track, "Cairo," that the members of Hot Hot Heat catch their breath and open up their sound. Based on a pretty, winding piano melody, the song offers a darker, slightly different twist on their style and suggests that they're preparing to make an even bigger leap on their next album than they did on this one. Still, what Hot Hot Heat lacks in diversity is more than made up for in quality -- Make Up the Breakdown is an addictive, densely packed pop gem that ranks among 2002's best albums. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Scenes One Through Thirteen'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 13
Label Ohev
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This Victoria, B.C quartet were touted as the new Screamers, in that they use the same unconventional, distinctive set-up, harsh, dominating, creepy synths, pounding drums, wildly screaming vocals, and no guitars (though unlike their L.A. 1977-1981 forebears, Hot Hot Heat utilize a bass). And sure enough, they do bear a certain unconfined animal assault, if not in the primo song material, nor the fierce intellect and subversive humor (that also distinguished the great, late Tomata du Plenty and Co). A recent signing to Sub Pop, this band may well be going places, as there's no denying their abrasive, no-holds-barred aggression. Whether it's throat-punishing screecher, Matthew Marnik, or the flagitious mastery of keyboardist Steve Bays, these songs are designed to make you feel uncomfortable and crazed, and they succeed well. This LP even made the cat run out of the room! You might soon follow. This stuff is pretty depraved (and great at the same time), but one can only take so much. ~ Jack Rabid, All Music Guide
