Hot Hot Heat “Elevator” Sire
Records
When the most interesting thing that can be said about an album
is that its track listing is presented in a unique fashion, it
doesn’t exactly bode well for the contents of the package.
Unfortunately, “Elevator,” Hot Hot Heat’s
follow-up to 2002’s breakthrough “Make Up the
Breakdown” fits this description all too well. Make no
mistake, “Elevator” is a solid album. Yet therein lies
the problem: “Elevator” is ultimately very safe and
predictable, much of the time sounding like a direct sequel to
“Make Up the Breakdown.” However, in spite of its
similar sound, “Elevator” noticeably lacks the energy
and catchy songwriting that made “Make Up the
Breakdown” an amusing listen. This observation is most
apparent in “Goodnight, Goodnight,” the first single
off of the album. Musically, the song has a catchy beat and some
playful melodies, yet it ends up not engaging the listener. Some of
this probably has to do with the blase song writing present in the
chorus ““ “Goodnight, Goodnight/Walk away from the door,
walk away from my life,” singer Steve Bays commands. While
mildly catchy, this sounds very pedestrian, lacking the infectious
spark of previous Hot Hot Heat singles like the timelessly catchy
“Talk to Me, Dance With Me.” With that said, there are
some high points on “Elevator.” Namely, Hot Hot Heat is
at its best when it slows things down, as it does on the
album’s title track. It would not be out of bounds to say
that “Elevator” is actually the best song on the album,
showcasing a heretofore unseen dimension of Hot Hot Heat. The track
contains a satisfying combination of perfectly distorted guitars
and backing pianos with enough effects to make Brandon Flowers of
the Killers jealous. At the same time, the slower tempo allows
listeners to hear a dreamier, softer side of the band.
“Elevator’s” main problem is that the band seems
to be attempting to recreate “Bandages” on almost every
single track. It is as though Hot Hot Heat believes that it has to
have Bays sing at a million-miles-per-hour pace while cramming as
much noise and production as it can into a two- to three-minute pop
song. This is unfortunate because if “Elevator” had
more songs like the title track and the wistfully melodic
“Soldier in a Box,” then it wouldn’t be so
maddening to hear such promising little gems buried in between
over-produced, lyrically boring songs auditioning to be singles.
Truthfully, this isn’t all Hot Hot Heat’s fault. In the
two and a half years since breaking through, the band has watched
similarly influenced bands like Franz Ferdinand and the Futureheads
find mainstream success. The problem here is that these bands have
not only made music similar to Hot Hot Heat, but they also happen
to have done it better. Instead of responding with an album full of
the unique, slower and more experimental fare that populates the
second half of “Elevator,” Hot Hot Heat appears to have
tried to placate the masses and give itself what it apparently
wants: an album full of songs that sound just like
“Bandages.” With that said, fans of Hot Hot Heat will
enjoy “Elevator,” but it likely won’t change the
minds of non-fans. And while the band isn’t going to alter
lives with any profound musical inspirations, “Middle of
Nowhere,” “Soldiers in a Box” and
“Elevator” would make a sensational little mini-EP.
It’s just too bad that Hot Hot Heat had to surround them with
so much filler. -Mark Humphrey
“Music From “˜The OC’: Mix 4″
Warner Bros. Records
The fourth volume of “Music From “˜The
OC'” continues the show’s tradition of featuring
new artists and material just obscure enough to craft a
recognizable musical fingerprint ““ but this “OC
Mix” just doesn’t take any chances. The album
alternates between up-tempo guitar pop (as represented on this
volume by the Futureheads and A.C. Newman) and down-tempo guitar
pop. And most of the tracks are solid, if not stellar, choices. But
out of the seven Beck songs played on the show in a recent episode,
the eerie blues of “Scarecrow” is a weaker fit for the
mix’s style than, say, the inadvertently Rachel Bilson
reference, “Girl.” More in tune is “To Be Alone
With You,” a song from Sufjan Stevens’ “Seven
Swans” album. It’s a sparse acoustic ballad that he
performs with an aching sense of longing. Stevens is one of the
most original, intriguing songwriters in ages, and the inclusion of
this song easily moves the compilation up a notch. The Reindeer
Section’s “Cartwheels” is similarly beautiful,
anchored by a striking male-female harmony. Imogen Heap of Frou
Frou contributes an undeniable electro-pop song (chorus lyric:
“Why’d you have to be so cute?”) that segues
nicely into the interlocking guitars of Pinback’s
“Fortress.” The mix’s only major misstep arrives
upon its conclusion. For the second cover recording commissioned by
“The OC,” the ordinarily enjoyable group Matt Pond PA
delivers a muted, curiously prettied-up version of Oasis’
“Champagne Supernova.” If Oasis has anything,
it’s force of personality and fuzzed-out electric guitars,
and Pond offers string sections and vocals as bland as yogurt.
Still, fans of the show may appreciate the effort. “The
OC” continues to succeed with its personable characters and
self-deprecating humor, in no small part because music is as much a
voice on the show as Seth Cohen himself. “Mix 4″ is a
memorable soundtrack for his exploits, and certainly interesting
enough to be enjoyed on its own merits. After all, it’s
spring in Southern California, and you’re going to need some
tunes for that next trip down the 101. -David
Greenwald