Hot Hot Heat

The major-label debut by Victoria, B.C.’s Hot Hot Heat, Elevator, takes you on a ride with boisterous ups and downs of pure, unpolluted pop rock. While the group’s previous album, Sub Pop’s Make up the Breakdown, experimented with its sound more, kind of in the vein of The Cure, this CD keeps the ears pleased from beginning to end with an Attractions-like hyper-energy, clever plays on words and unexpected melodies throughout. On “Goodnight, Goodnight,” the first single, front man Steve Bays blasts goodnight to the downer of a failed relationship like a spaz on uppers: “I’ve given up on social niceties/ I threw ’em out when I threw out your keys/ Along with all your records I can’t stand/ You never even listen to any of them.” The piano in “You Owe Me an IOU” sets it apart a bit, perfectly punctuating the chorus with a bit of a new wave twist à la Graham Parker, and the sad-but-still-poppy slower-tempoed “Jingle Jangle” (“I never thought I’d end up here”) shows that Hot Hot Heat can keep it cool as well.