Hot Hot Heat's breakout album was a model of economy, packing a huge amount of ideas and energy into a svelte ten-song track listing. Elevator, Hot Hot Heat's Sire Records debut, is also pretty speedy, burning through 15 tracks in just under 38 minutes. Tracks like "Goodnight Goodnight" and "Jingle Jangle" are nearly as wiry and witty as the band's debut, and there are flashes of Hot Hot Heat's breathless pop brilliance: the panicky opener "Running Out of Time" and pouty single "You Owe Me an IOU" are just as hooky and smart as Hot Hot Heat's previous bests. With its choppy verses and sunny choruses, "Island of the Honest Man" opens up the band's sound and is one of the few tracks (along with "Elevator" itself) that makes good use of the album's expansive production. Elevator kicks further into gear on its second half, where a string of moody almost-ballads like "Middle of Nowhere," "Dirty Mouth," "Soldier in a Box," and the title track add edge and focus. ~ Heather Phares
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."
Fantastic It's been a while since I had such a good cd. I'm really glad that I get this in CD Universe-fast shipping and always getting what I am expecting. Submitted by bartekdmo (Carteret,NJ,USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 3 found this helpful.
Party time! Along the same genre' as The Killers, and worth a listen or six. Lots of energy and good music Submitted by dougp (Milwaukee WI) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
Great CD! I love this CD! It is just amazing and each of the songs on this album is good and you can put it on repeat and never get tired of it. Each song is also very catchy and makes you want to dance! I love it! Submitted by Ashlie12345 (Bakersfield, Ca, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
Awesome CD!! I love this cd so much. It's one of my favourites. If you're reading this review, get down to your closest cd shop and buy it. (Or order online!) It's definately worth it. Every song is really great especially Goodnight Goodnight. It's perfect for the car or just hanging out at home. :) Go buy it now!!! Submitted by Eloise (Toowooma, QLD, AUST) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
There's flavor seething Americanism Lengthbit is likeable here. I don't why, really. Middle of Nowhere should've been the first single instead here. There's danceable numbers that seethe thru this album like Make Up the Breakdown did for this band as their breakthrough. Tight numbers for tight skills. That's a sign of good musicianship here. The singer's vocals and the song titles is what imps me here. Submitted by orangegreendesolate (Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Fantastic
Party time!
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