just they wait....just wait...

Quote:

Hot Hot Heat's Elevator on the way down EDJR000020050402e1420003l Culture Sandra Sperounes The Edmonton Journal 760 Words 02 April 2005 Edmonton Journal Final E3 English Copyright © 2005 Edmonton Journal CD: ELEVATOR Artist: Hot Hot Heat Label: Warner Best track: Island of the Honest Man, Dirty Mouth Rating: 3 (out of five) Releasing an album is like waiting for an elevator. - - - As the cables heave and wheels rumble behind the door, you're never quite sure where the lift is headed until it actually hits your floor. When it does, the wrong arrow always seems to light up. You want to go up, the elevator is going down. You want to go down, it's on the way up. In a matter of days, the wait for Hot Hot Heat's much-anticipated followup to 2002's Make up the Breakdown will be over. (Tuesday, to be precise.) The Victoria natives, who now live in Vancouver, are obviously hoping their dance-punk Elevator will carry them from the lobby of potential stars to the penthouse of rock 'n' roll's hotel. But, chances are, the lift won't ever arrive and Steve Bays, bassist Dustin Hawthorne, drummer Paul Hawley and new guitarist Luke Paquin will be stuck on the same floor with the rest of the acts who couldn't quite live up to our impossible expectations. Acts such as The Liars, Ryan Adams, The Unicorns, Ima Robot, OK Go, Radio 4 and Moby. (See below.) That's because Hot Hot Heat's timing is all wrong. Back in 2002, Make up the Breakdown was a critical success because it was one of the first of a deluge of dance-punk albums. While Canadian radio stations didn't know what to do with songs such as Bandages and Talk To Me, Dance With Me, Hot Hot Heat's boppy synth rhythms and herky, percussive vocal stylings found a home on British airwaves and prompted U.S. publications to peg the group as "one to watch." Nowadays, Rating 3 has many competitors -- including Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and The Kaiser Chiefs, three acts who weren't even on our radar when Hot Hot Heat were initially warming up our toes. They've raised the bar with songs such as Take Me Out, Somebody Told Me and Oh My God, and sadly, Rating 3's Elevator doesn't rise to the challenge. Indeed, Make up the Breakdown is the stronger, snappier of the two and should've been released as the group's second album. If only. It's as if Hot Hot Heat were so stressed about making Elevator, they decided to record a bunch of songs as quickly as possible, just to get some out of the way. The first seven tracks seem to whiz by without much notice -- only Running Out Of Time and Jingle Jangle, a weary Strokes-like tale about a misunderstood salesman, dangle like a carrot, urging fans to keep listening. It's not until the last half of the album that Hot Hot Heat settle down, get comfortable and lay down a few memorable grooves. Island of the Honest Man is a speedy disco number, complete with gasping-to-catch-up vocals by Bays. Middle of Nowhere cranks along with clanking guitars and tinkling keyboards while Dirty Mouth, with its jangly, Johnny Marr guitars and jumpy chorus, is the catchiest of the lot. "Smalltown girls and boys make too much noise, so I keep to myself," sings Bays. As usual, he writes stinging social commentaries -- such as "Jingle jangle, that's the sound of coins spent on/Useless toys made for useless boys" -- but he's softened the over-accentuated, yelping delivery which made him stand out from all the other new-wave, Robert Smith-like vocalists. Instead of emphasizing various syllables or using a variety of different tempos as if he was drumming out his words, Bays now sings most of his lines and often ends up sounding like a mix of Elvis Costello, The Strokes and the dude from Canada's long-forgotten synth-pop group from the '80s -- The Spoons. Remember Romantic Traffic? Or Tell No Lies? Will we remember Bays and his boys in another 20 years? Probably not. Elevator going down. Hot Hot Heat perform April 13 at Red's with The Futureheads and Louis XIV. Tickets are $21.50 (plus service charges) at Ticketmaster. ssperounes@thejournal.canwest.com HEAR A CLIP Listen to Hot Hot Heat's new CD, Elevator. www.edmontonjournal.com and click on Online Extras Photo: Supplied / Hot Hot Heat; Photo: Journal Stock / (CD cover: Elevator by Hot Hot Heat.)

WT? WTF you guys?

I do agree with what their saying about HHH. I don't think anyone will remember them, hell i dont even remember them anymore and there the reason i was at the house of blues show, thats where I discovered ImaR.

They will lift up, i hope.

I think they're lame..

HHH is awful, they add to my many reasons for hating Victoria. Whats with the Ima Robot hating? They released one album so there is no people can say whether or not they live up to their expectations(maybe this guy(or girl) should do their homework before writing an article). Theres nothing I hate more than music review. Well... there is, its movie reviews. If they have the answers for everything then why dont they make the best music(or movies)

I just heard there album, not that good guys.

I can't STAND the lead singer and his stupid hair..

Yeah. I don't like the hair either.



[Edited on 7-4-2005 by corkey16]

i liked their "bandages" song ...i couldn´t help it.

talk to me, dance with me and touch you, touch you are the best songs by them.

The voice is a bit annoying at times, but I like a few songs. I don't know what any of them look like, so I don't know about the hair thing.

you´re right ...his hair is miserable indeed.

hot hot heat suck. ima is way better. theres no comparrason. but im confused, did they just diss ima? cuz then that writer sucks

I like a few of HHH's songs, and I like The Unicorns! And IMA Robot (obviously) I can't even believe that. . .

The Unicorns own HXC.

HXC?

im such a hypocrite bitch im so in love with elevator now. oh em gee is all i gotta say.

I will sheepishly add that I like it more now, too.

Hehe. I knew it all along! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

I totally like that cd.

I can't stand the lead singer's voice...or hair..Blech..

I like his hair, I think it's cool, I kinda reminds me of the singer for Coheed & Cambria's hair though So it makes it un-original. . . .

Quote:

Originally posted by 7cut you´re right ...his hair is miserable indeed.

Have you seen it recently? Damn.....

I think he's hot