Hot Hot Heat
““Make Up The Breakdown””
(Sub Pop / Warner Bros.)
Dude, so fucking good. I must have listened to this album about 50 times since I got it last year in the cold of October. I distinctly remember not being able to get the songs on “Make Up The Breakdown” out of my head. I rarely don’t have the stereo on when I’m in the shower, but when I’m forced to play tunes in my head Hot Hot Heat frequently is what I start pathetically belting out. The most compelling part of “Make Up The Breakdown” is that the bass is poppy and the vocals are easy to sing along to, but are not too repetitive or about stupid shit.
Man, the track “This Town” is the epitome of being stuck where you don’t want to be and not being able to find a rational reason for your present disposition. Then there’s the instant classic “Oh, Goddamnit” which has a really cool Strokes like bass riff that just does the progression way more justice than the Strokes ever could. If you so chose I bet you could dance the tango to pretty much any Hot Hot Heat song. It’s sometimes unbelievable how lead singer Steve Bays’ voice can sound so whiney, but at the same time unreserved. It would really surprise me if Hot Hot Heat wasn’t the antithesis of the whole garage rock scene. Catchy like a cold.
