Since the brilliant one-two punch of Make Up The Breakdown and Elevator, Hot Hot Heat has had a rough go of it. Guitarist/songwriter Dante DeCaro left the band due to creative differences (eventually landing in Wolf Parade), and the the band’s first effort without him, Happiness Ltd., was the antithesis of absolutely abysmal major label debuts. It seemed that the band had creatively kicked the bucket in a hurry. But on Future Breeds Hot Hot Heat has a pulse, if only a faint one.
While the lack DeCaro’s perfectly placed guitar work still leaves a gaping hole in Hot Hot Heat’s sound, the band does recapture some of the frantic and jerky energy that put them on the map. A song like “21@12″ may not fully capture the jangly brightness of early Hot Hot Heat, it’s still got enough pep to carry the day. “Goddess On The Prairie” captures a bit of that old spirit of adding just enough guitar spritzes for taste. The sporadic “JFK’s LSD” also proves that the noisier the better on this album.
But for all the tracks that seem to revitalize Hot Hot Heat on Future Breeds, there are an equal number that undermine the rejuvenation. “Times A Thousand” tries for the intentionally disheveled rambling rock feel, but comes across as nothing more than sloppy. Songs including “Zero Results,” “Future Breeds,” and “What Is Rational?” are so completely boring that they feel like Happiness Ltd. cuts. There’s just nothing there. But the oddest track is “Buzinezz Az Uzual.” While it isn’t bad, it sounds like something of Green Day’s Warning – i.e. nothing remotely close to the rest of Future Breeds.
While it’s good to see signs of life from Hot Hot Heat, Future Breeds doesn’t consistently hit enough positive notes. Hot Hot Heat isn’t dead yet, but it’s certainly still got quite a cold.
Review Score: 5.9
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