Search - Grant Hart :: Hot Wax

Welcome Back, Grant Hart

Johnny Jones | California | 11/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Grant Hart was one of the most important figures of

indie rock in the 1980's with Husker Du. After that group's breakup, he continued the high quality of his work with his band, Nova Mob, and as a solo artist.

"Hot Wax" is the first album of new material from

Hart in almost a decade. The wait was worth it. Every

song on "Hot Wax" is good to great.

Hart explores new territory with the chamber pop of

"Barbara", and the ballad, "I Knew All About You Since Then". He has never sounded more whimsical than on the

rollicking tale of "Sailor Jack". Other highlights include the zen-like "You're The Reflection Of The Moon

On The Water", the politically charged "School Buses Are

For Children" and the very catchy "Charles Hollis Jones"

and "California Zephyr". The album concludes with the

defiant, triumphant, "My Regrets".

Unlike so many of his peers, Grant Hart has never

compromised his artistic integrity. While most of his

oontemporaries have released albums to diminishing

returns over the years,what is abundantly clear after

listening to "Hot Wax" is that Grant Hart is still in

top form as a songwriter,vocalist,and musician.

If you are a Grant Hart fan, you will love this

album. If you are unfamiliar with his music and like

melodic rock 'n' roll, do yourself a favor and pick up

a copy of "Hot Wax". You won't be disappointed because

"Hot Wax" is easily one of the best releases of 2009."

Took a while to win me over

Thomas M. Faust | Katy, TX | 11/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Never mind the old admonition about not judging a book by its cover - in this case, yeah: the cover tells us a lot about what to expect from Hot Wax. For background, I remain a Husker fan, enjoy some of Bob Mould's solo work, and still listen to Good News for Modern Man.



From that perspective, I was initially disappointed in Hot Wax. I mean, I felt cheated: where Good News was a calliope of sounds and well-written lyrics - Hot Wax seemed almost a collection of pencil sketches. I waited 10 years for this??? The songs - for the most part - either have strong lyrics or good musical grooves, but seldom both. Initially, I thought that Hart had lost interest, and shoved the disc out just to be done with it.



Fast-forward a week or two, and frankly - I reach for this disc often. There's something about the songs that just strike me as having just enough to them: not over-produced by any stretch. Weirdness and adventure are present (30-second fade-in for Charles Hollis Jones?), but overall the songs won me over. Favorites include...oh, heck - I start at track 5 (Narcissus, Narcissus), and ride through the rest of the disc, returning to the front for the rest of the tracks.





"

Grant Hart's Wayback Machine

Timothy P. Young | Rawlins, WY, USA | 12/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After Husker Du exploded 22 years ago, Bob Mould went on to solo work and Sugar, both of which were well received by critic and fan alike. Grant Hart, the other singer and songwriter of Du, stayed in the shadows of the underground, releasing the cathartic Intolerance, then forming Nova Mob. Though his recording career has been infrequent, Hart's solo work has shown an impressive consistency throughout...he has a high standard of songwriting excellence, varies his tempos and instrumentation, and truly, his solo releases remind us why Husker Du was so much more than just Bob Mould, even if Mould had more overall influence on the band's sound.



And so, Grant Hart returns after an extended hiatus from recording with Hot Wax, a record that could have been released in...wait for it...1968. This is by no means a bad thing...Hart keeps the organ and piano front and center, giving songs like the opening "You're the Reflection of the Moon on the Water" a fat, San Francisco sound even as his lyrics cut sharply into the essence of his subject. ("You're the reflection of the moon on the water/But you're not the moon"). Wow. Throughout the record, Hart takes in both social issues ("Charles Hollis Jones," "School Buses are for Children") as well as personal ones ("Narcissus, Narcissus," "My Regrets"), all the while maintaining the album as a low-tech, high energy affair. Oh, it's true that the guitars are higher in the mix sometimes than they would have been 40 years ago...this is a modern album, after all. But the spirit of Hot Wax seems to have roots in that San Francisco past. It's as if he found a stack of Airplane LPs and a couple of early Bowie or T-Rex imports, played them incessantly for a month, and then recorded this album.



However, at no time does the LP sound derivative in any way. This isn't an echo of another time, or a celebration of the past, but rather a way to catch the feelings that he wants to get across to us, the listener. Hart remains a true American original, and has released an album that's more fun than Bob Mould's ever been, but just as insightful. Recommended for fans of Husker Du, fans of the 60s, and just plain fans of good music. Wonderful stuff."