Hot Hot Heat Elevator CD

Taking late-1970s/early-'80s acts such as XTC and the Jam as inspiration, Hot Hot Heat mixes formidable melodies, post-punk aggression, New Wave quirkiness, and a contemporary indie-rock sensibility into an irresistible package. ELEVATOR is Hot Hot Heat's major-label debut, and offers a streamlined take on the qualities heard on their excellent efforts MAKE UP THE BREAKDOWN and the KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK EP. The first two tracks after "Introduction," ("Running Out of Time" and "Goodnight Goodnight") practically knock the listener to the floor with their catchy hooks and exuberant energy.

The group has honed its neo-New Wave attack to an economic precision on ELEVATOR. Most songs clock in at less than three minutes, and each balances tunefulness and spiky punk-pop vitality. The herky-jerky feel of the moody, chant-driven "Ladies and Gentlemen" and "You Owe Me an IOU," the album's first single, are particularly memorable. On this record, the band plays in the big leagues, and this is most apparent in the glossy production of the accessible ballad "Jingle Jangle." However, the memorable "Island of the Honest Man" and the anthemic "Pickin' It Up" should satisfy longtime fans of Hot Hot Heat's edgy sound.

Contains an untitled track of noise on track #13.

Hot Hot Heat: Luke Paquin (guitar); Dustin Hawthorne (bass guitar); Dante DeCaro (drums); Steve Bays, Paul Hawley.

Personnel: Steve Bays (vocals, piano, organ); Paul Hawley (guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, percussion); D. Sardy (guitar, percussion); Dante DeCaro (guitar).

Audio Mixer: D. Sardy.

Recording information: Larrabee East, Los Angeles, CA (2004); Sound City, Los Angeles, CA (2004).

Editors: Ryan Castle; Warren Huart.

Photographer: Phil Knott.Rolling Stone (p.68) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "[ELEVATOR] contains some of the finest pure pop-rock songs of the year so far; it's a fourteen-track, thirty-seven-minute rush of pleasure..."
Spin (pp.101-102) - "Bays fully understands that new-wave vocals are about percussion and repetition, and he sings his like a caffeinated cognitive scientist." - Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly (No. 814, p.62) - "[T]hey're still fixated on the [late 1970s and early '80s], but BREAKDOWN's suggestions of rainy-afternoon electro-pop are mostly gone, replaced by guitar-driven pogo-pop..." - Grade: B
Uncut (p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "ELEVATOR resonates more with every spin...'Ladies And Gentlemen' channels Blur and Joe Jackson to great effect."