Search - Hot Water Music :: Caution

Possibly their best...

Campbell Roark | from under the floorboards and through the woods.. | 01/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...This is the review i did about a year and a half ago... I stand by it..."The only thing odd or not-to-like about this album is its fairly ambiguous title. Other than that... This is simply one of the best albums I have heard in years. Years. While 'A Flight and A Crash' was a major point of departure, stylistically, this album refines and improves upon that sound, while also harkening back to earlier work. If I had to define it in terms of prior releases (not fair to it at all), I'd say it bridges the gap between 'A Flight and A Crash,' and 'Fuel for the Hate Game,' both of which are phenomenal. This is the kind of album that makes people start bands. Some of the most powerful, anthemic, inspiring music I have heard in a loooong time (maybe not since Flight/Crash). All the tracks are great (another thing, it's been awhile since I've had an album I can listen to the whole way through, not skipping a song), but Remedy (very Flight/Crash sounding), Trusty Chords, It's All related, The Sense, Not For Anyone, and Wayfarer (especially Wayfarer) are earth-shattering. Now then, Many HC vets, scene purists, and fulltime naysayers with nothing beter to do with their lives than mumble/cry/shout 'sellout,' will be put off by the album's (and the band's) refusal to be entrenched within the narrow limits of any musical sub-genre, be it hardcore, post-punk, whatever... These guys play rock music. Label it as you will. HWM: They tour [a lot] and put on some of the most intense and impassioned shows I've ever seen. Go check 'em out if you get the chance. Every album seems to move forward. Pick this up, you won't be let down. Scott Sinclair's artwork is especially fine (he does all their albums). The pictures tell a story, so for those of you who can't read... Let it never be said that HWM discriminates against the 'unliterate.'PS, I was chagrined to see HWM slot in at # 10, in the recent Rolling Stone College Music Chart...""

HWM's most mature, creative album to date.

hdorne2 | Gainesville, FL USA | 10/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently got this album at a cd release/concert in HWM's and my hometown of Gainesville, Florida. After giving it repeated listens, I can honestly say that it is the band's most mature album to date. Many fans criticize the band for being progressive, but in a punk music scene that is becoming increasingly stagnant, progression hardly sounds like a bad idea. The new album is a huge step above their previous effort, "A Flight and a Crash", taking the ambiguity of that album but making inspiring songs. Ever since the band landed a deal with Epitaph records, they have started to show increasing signs of creativity, using synthesizers and pianos in interesting places to create a sound that is both ambitious and beautiful. On this album, both lyrics and music are much less straightforward than on their previous efforts, making the replay value much, much higher. The lyrics are more introspective this time around, showcasing the first HWM lyrics about a romantic relationship that I've ever seen. The emotion is more subdued than the rawness of 1998's "No Division", which may prove to be more effective in the end, after repeated listenings. All in all, this album is scorching, just as all of the music this band has ever made. If they ever come even remotely close to your town, go see them. It will change your life if their music already hasn't."

Best album I have heard thus far, this year.

Howardtheburntone | Beckley, WV | 11/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The only thing odd or not-to-like about this album is its fairly ambiguous title. Other than that... This is simply one of the best albums I have heard in years. Years. While 'A Flight and A Crash' was a major point of departure, stylistically, this album refines and improves upon that sound, while also harkening back to earlier work. If I had to define it in terms of prior releases (not fair to it at all), I'd say it bridges the gap between 'A Flight and A Crash,' and 'Fuel for the Hate Game,' both of which are phenomenal. This is the kind of album that makes people start bands. Some of the most powerful, anthemic, inspiring music I have heard in a loooong time (maybe not since Flight/Crash). All the tracks are great (another thing, it's been awhile since I've had an album I can listen to the whole way through, not skipping a song), but Remedy (very Flight/Crash sounding), Trusty Chords, It's All related, The Sense, Not For Anyone, and Wayfarer (especially Wayfarer) are earth-shattering. Now then, Many HC vets, scene purists, and fulltime naysayers with nothing beter to do with their lives than mumble/cry/shout 'sellout,' will be put off by the album's (and the band's) refusal to be entrenched within the narrow limits of any musical sub-genre, be it hardcore, post-punk, whatever... These guys play rock music. Label it as you will. HWM: They tour [a lot] and put on some of the most intense and impassioned shows I've ever seen. Go check 'em out if you get the chance. Every album seems to move forward. Pick this up, you won't be let down. Scott Sinclair's artwork is especially fine (he does all their albums). The pictures tell a story, so for those of you who can't read... Let it never be said that HWM discriminates against the 'unliterate.'PS, I was chagrined to see HWM slot in at # 10, in the recent Rolling Stone College Music Chart..."