Hot Hot Heat - 'Elevator' (Wea) Released 25/04/05

Hot Hot Heat are a paradox. They create some of the most glorious guitar driven pop but are constantly teetering close to the edge of being just another throwaway indie band. Its something they battle with continuously on their new album ‘Elevator’, the follow up to 2003’s ‘Make Up The Break Up’ on which they succeeded in striking the right balance to create one of that year’s foremost albums.

On ‘Elevator’ the Canadian quartet read from the same blueprint that was used to create the amazingly frenetic ‘Bandages’ and the infectious ‘No Not Now’. It is more of a small step rather than a giant leap. All the quirky riffs, witty lyrics and Steve Bay’s eccentric vocals are all still there, providing us with the usual frenzied Hot Hot Heat style. The fact that they manage to cram fifteen songs into barely thirty seven minutes gives you an idea of the pace of the album.

From the moment it’s feet touch the ground this album is running, jumping and throwing itself around at breakneck speed and its difficult to catch your breath. ‘Running Out Of Time’, ‘Goodnight, Goodnight’ and ‘You Owe Me An IOU’ show Hot Hot Heat at their distinctive best with Bays wailing away to his hearts content. However, this is also the albums fall down, its so caught up with being so fast and furious it never really feels like its going anywhere.

By the time you get to songs like ‘Jingle, Jangle’ and ‘Pickin’ It Up’ the immediacy and excitement brought by the opening tracks is lost and the songs seem to similar to have any impact. There are no truly bad songs, just none that sit you up, smack you in the face and leave you thinking ‘where the hell did that come from!’ It all feels a little one paced.

‘Island Of The Honest Man’ does stand out within the last few songs on the album as a return to form, moving away from the worn out formula of the songs that surround it. This is not a bad album, far from it, but compared to the likes of The Furtureheads and Bloc Party it lacks the imagination to take their sound on to the next level, leaving you under whelmed to the extent that you start to think – What’s next for Hot Hot Heat?