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A Flight and a Crash Hot Water Music |
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Their unusually titled… well not so unusually titled I suppose if you've been there before, and I'm not speaker figuratively though I suppose it could be construed as such-but survivors or not, Hot Water Music, a band and one that's existed, maybe even thrived for the last seven or so years, lands not so softly on their new label with a new record… a progression of sorts, so say the transcripts, and we may quickly guess they're coming from some much more rugged roots than the final output here, rugged enough in a traditionally-steeped abandoned where house practice room sort of way but also tempered in some fine use of melodies and unabashed hooks-which dig right in from the opening moments of the title track and the particularly catchy "Paper Thin" which might be well placed as first single. Unexpectedly, Epitaph's latest find comes off very unlike the twin-toned, tattooed, and buttery skate-Punk and Pop charm we're used to humming along with in recent days, Hot Water Music comes at you much more suddenly, deviant yet clearly defined, often varied and always emotive, sometimes Rock, yet inches away from something else Clash-like, bizarre and bluesy. First impressions are of the latest find for the burgeoning underground movement that's resurrected Post-Punk/Death Rock and 1973 all in one quick rev of the engine, however further along, there are many instrumental intricacies that blend well with the full force blow by of the amps and rushing riffs. An odd cover image to go with an even odder name that from a pure artistic sense makes little in the early going and so then "A Flight and a Crash" could mean different things to different people from all walks of listening life and varied degrees of consciousness… At the fore, I'm getting a challenging listen, much like the recent workings of an Align or even Propaghandi technically speaking-and only technically speaking, an Indie-Rock flavor with a sharp edge and maneuverability often set aside in favor of the latter, and a flight pattern that's not easy to endure for easily tainted first timers. Epitaph Records: http://www.epitaph.com/ Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |