Hot Hot Heat
Happiness Ltd.

Guitar strumming with a bpm that even the proto-video game Pong couldn't match. And shortly after, a bass trying to surpass it. Some cymbals, but with almost jazz-like restraint. And then a guitar riff from an amplifier just turned on. Followed by irresistible strumming and arpeggios.

This is the start of the third effort by Canadian band Hot Hot Heat, following 'Elevator', their 2005 album that propelled them into the mainstream and charts with singles 'Goodnight Goodnight' and 'Middle Of Nowhere', leaving a bit of a bitter taste for the indie scene that had idolized their debut LP 'Make Up The Breakdown' in 2002, the one with 'Bandages'.

1-Happiness Ltd.: after the aforementioned intro, the track unfolds in labyrinthine guitar geometries, through which the skilled Steve Bays wanders (a voice that's a bit annoying at first, but one you'll love with more listening). It's the classic "anthem" for opening an album, a bit like 'Sam's Town' for The Killers' album of the same name. 'Happiness is limited/ But misery no end' is the leitmotif of the lyrics. And then, while everything seems calm thanks to a soft piano, comes the 'It's over now' with an explosion of all the instruments, complete with national anthem-style choruses. A truly thick track, unusual for Hot Hot Heat.

2-Let Me In: first single with video. Super-riff at the beginning with something a bit bitter, mega keyboard with mall jingle sustain, acoustic guitar set in the left channel. The feeling is that of a ride. A really very very catchy song. "(I'm begging, baby, Let me in/)Baby, just let me in/I'm begging at your door just let me in" is the chorus you won't get out of your ears, also thanks to a really engaging drum rhythm in the pre-chorus. Ending with a rising solo. Higher and higher.

3-5 Times Out Of 100: the atmospheres are those of 'Elevator'. Guitar riffs here and there for a track to which no one, I mean no one, can resist (if you keep tapping your foot along with this album, you'll risk acute tendonitis). "Five times of a hundred..." shout it out, it feels good. Pre-chorus with snare hammering and Hot Hot Heat's manifesto lyrics (the more carefree and silly style): "Hey, hey, hey, I don't want a no/ Say, say, say, I don't want to go/ Stay, stay, stay, I don't want a slow, slow, slow day". It makes you laugh when put this way, but I swear the fit with the soundscape is perfect. The guitar riff is incredibly engaging. In the similar-tragic ending with piano and tearful choirs, there's time for a little organ that starts softly and then, like a spirit, sneaks into our headphones until it presents us with Hot Hot Heat's best friend: hand clapping. Bass and hands. Guitar slash. And back to carefree silliness.

4-Harmonicas & Tambourines: are we in a 2007 CD or an episode of Creamy? Because this intro really sounds like an eighties piece. Electronic drums galore. Bass like Donna Summer. And then, a squeezed guitar. The chorus isn't among the best. Cute track but not among the higher shots.

5-Outta Heart: the most beautiful track on the album is the one where Hot Hot Heat is the least like themselves. The first ballad in the band's history hits the mark immediately. Intro with lone drums (snare at full throttle). And then a very bitter guitar riff, spectral acoustic, bad bass. Great song. A chorus for the ages, preceded by a thousand violins played by the wind: "I'm out of my soul/ I'm out in the dark / I'm outta my mind and I'm outta my heart.
I'm outta my luck/ I'm outta the know/ I'm outta control but I want you to know". But the best feelings are yet to come: the bridge with the singer shouting, "Are you worth your weight in gold?" and the band responding in chorus "Oh no, oh no" is worth the purchase (or download) of the album on its own.

6-My Best Friend: no worries, the band's keyboardist hasn't frozen: the syncopated piano that opens track number 6 is just the forerunner of a bombastic rhythm arriving shortly. Drum machine and then...Boom! Did you hear it? A piano that would be the envy of the Aristocats' soundtrack. And then comes another mad chorus: "Whoa oh oh oh/ Oh oh oh oh/ I never want/ I never wanted anyone/ I never want/ I never wanted anybody". Stuff for stadiums. Will the ultras steal it? Great solo with super crunch amp.

7-Conversation: another beautiful song? Damn, Hot Hot Heat, you guys are really b******* aren't you?! Intro sounds like pinball music. "No need to hesitate/ No need to concentrate/ No need to slow things down with conversation". And off with the guitar riff. And a rumbling bass. A fairy-tale pre-chorus, with really polished guitars. A very sexy song. Great production. How can you not adore this band with a guitar solo disguised as an organ?

8-Give Up?: okay, I'll stop now: I assure you this is the last masterpiece of the CD. It begins with a Brazilian rhythm achieved with Pringles cans (Tullio De Piscopo special guest?). Wait! There's also a piano. And a synth squeezing it all like a rag. And then...all together (with an electric sounding like a needle scratching vinyl) "Frustration, Frustration/ I hate this vacation/ So give up (give up)/ Give up (give up)/ I've got to get away from here/ It's killing me just thinking 'bout". I swear on the chorus/response "Give up" I can't resist and flail like a queen throwing fake punches in the air. "ghiv ap!! ghiv ap!!". What energy! What a great CD!!!

9-Good Day To Die: melancholic piece that is less effective than 'Outta Heart', perhaps the weakest of the work. Acoustic and electric arpeggios. Occasionally some synth and very low electric riffs. Nothing special this time.

10-So So Cold: excellent synth-song, reminiscent of the atmosphere of final tracks from 'Sam's Town' by The Killers like 'This River Is Wild' or 'Why Do I Keep Counting?' (although in the chorus it reminds a lot of 'Bling (Confession Of A King)'). The chorus is really effective, with great electric strumming.

11-Waiting For Nothing: piano and, later, a guitar so distorted it's hardly audible. Then tambourines. One. Two. One, two. Good track to close the LP, surely not excellent.

Ultimately, a truly engaging CD, with excellent production, definitely a top 5 contender for 2007, pushing Hot Hot Heat back up the charts. The levels are excellent just like on 'Elevator'. And in the end, tendonitis is guaranteed.