Search - Hot Hot Heat :: Elevator

Definitely worth a try

Stephen | Calgary | 04/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this outing from Victoria indie rockers Hot Hot Heat the day it hit stores, with fairly high expectations of their major label debut. I was not disappointed.



The first thing that one notices is the fairly minimalist jacket and liner booklet. The track listing on the back of the album is listed with 15 at the top, much like the buttons on an elevator. There is no 13th track, much like most office towers have no 13th floor. A very neat touch.



The record starts with the useless Introduction. One wonders why it was included. However, it follows it with Running Out Of Time, a hook-laden song with a catchy chorus. The third track is the album's single, Goodnight Goodnight. My initial reaction to it is that the chorus doesn't seem to fit the verses, but after a couple of listens, I started appreciating the stylistic changes. Like the track which precedes it, it is laden with hooks.



Track 4 begins with a chant reminiscent of any other indie band, and a crunchy guitar intro. This is Ladies and Gentleman, a fairly dark ballad with plenty of plays on words, telling the tale of an extroverted gentleman who was ostracized by his peers. The track reeks of their influences, but is still a fun intro.



Track 5 starts with a lighthearted intro on the piano. You Owe Me An IOU, a throwback to their lyrical style established on 2002's Make Up The Breakdown. The verses are catchy and full of plays on words, and the chorus is memorable. It is followed up by a useless musical interlude (called No Jokes - Fact,) and then the entirely forgettable Jingle Jangle. This is a low-tempo ballad which feels entirely too much like a Jet song. Fortunately it leads into the irresistable Pickin' It Up, coloured by yet another memorable chorus, and a bouncy riff that seems hard not to dance along to. Island Of The Honest Man comes next, a very interesting ska tune which mixes very fast verses and a slow, dramatic chorus. Track 10 is my personal favourite on the record, a ballad called The Middle Of Nowhere. This is what one would call the most mainstream song on the album, which simply means that the song is fairly safe. However, since this is Hot Hot Heat, the chorus is sheer gold. Track 11 is a 1980's style rocker called Dirty Mouth. Not much can be said about it. Track 12 is the very cool, very innovative Soldier In A Box. This is an excellent song, with one of the best choruses on the record.



There is no 13th song, but track 14 makes up for this omission. Shame On You is an up-tempo ska song reminiscent of the Clash's music during the 80s, but their lyrics during the 70s. "Running with scissors wasn't smart, I tripped and cut open your heart." The backbeat in this song seems like it's taken from a club in 1990's eastern europe, but on the whole the song manages to be very fun.



The album closes with the title track, Elevator. The verses are something of a sleeping pill, but on hearing the chorus, one cannot help but adore this song. The chorus is somewhat depressing, but it is delivered in such a way that it just sounds beautiful.



On the whole, the album has good flow from track to track. It's a nuisance that on a record which promises 15 tracks, there are only 12 songs. It is also annoying that the longest song is 4:03, however it is hard to hold it against these guys. In 20 years, we won't remember Hot Hot Heat, but for 2005, this is a fun album to put in to unwind."