And the concert

[dafunkk12]

Mediocre, I'd say. Very by-the-numbers and all too relaxed. The only parts that felt raw were, unfortunately, the parts where it seems the band wasn't syching up properly. (Also, despite the fidelity in which the rest of the live performance matched the album, I was disappointed that the guitar solos weren't as stand-up as the album.) Set was

Comments

[dafunkk12]

I think they did a great job at the show at UCF. The singer didn't miss a beat, and the instrumentals stayed strong, together but still managed to break out solidly.

Doing my research on Ima Robot, I saw many people criticizing them for merely being a take-off on Hot Hot Heat. Here was my big problem with Hot Hot Heat's concert. Even on the studio albums, Ima Robot is a lot more "thrashy" and rock & roll than Hot Hot Heat's organized chaos. Hot Hot Heat's "Scenes One Through Thirteen" is sheer thrashy, trashy garbage; "Makeup The Breakdown" finds their sound; and "Elevator" reels it all into something entirely more accessible to pop sensibilities.

I don't like the complete shift in texture between the verses and chorus of "Goodbye, Goodbye," either. It's like it brings the song to a screeching halt and starts up with something different altogether.

If you haven't already, give their records a listen. Although the unique overall musical texture is the draw of Hot Hot Heat, their greatest strength lies in the smart, quirky riddled tongue-twister lyrics and equally inventive lyric delivery of the singer. (Just so you don't read that wrong, his vocal qualities I have not addressed.)

[dafunkk12]

Whoops, I lost track of a point I was trying to make in the second paragraph. Because of the quirky qualities of the band's sound, their spot-on note-perfect live performance was doubly disappointing for being paradoxially straight-up.

Also, insert a comment about alliteration in my notes about the lyrics.