My Amazon Reviews: Hot Hot Heat "Future Breeds"

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3 Out of 5 Stars

Hot Hot Heat get off the major label merry-go-round and back on the Indie Label train for "Future Breeds," which throws off the smoothness of "Happiness Ltd." and goes back to quirky post-new wave. Lead singer Steve Bays sounds loads edgier than anything from "Happiness," and some of the songs spike with oddball electronic energy.

"Future Breeds" sounds like HHH once again dropped in from the early 80's to rev-up some MTV-ready video-wave tunes. It also makes "Future Breeds" an uneven album. Fortunately, the leaden middle of the album ("JFK's LSD," "Jedediah") is counter-balanced by the straightforward cool stuff on either end. There's the frantic ""Implosionistic" and fantastic pop of "Goddess of The Prairie,' along with the old HHH sounding "21@12" (which comes out as 21 at midnight). And I love the line from the closing cut, "Nobody's Accusing You of Having a Good Time" that snorts "some days the grim reaper isn't looking so grim." Stuff like that is what made me an HHH fan in the first place.

When I first caught wind of HHH, it was because of Bray's Robert Smith yelp, which sounded like The Cure being backed by Elvis Costello's Attractions. "Happiness" was an attempt at smoothing things out for major consumption, even if it did boast better songs. With "Future Breeds," they're back where they started, but this time I think only aficionados - like me - are the ones that will really dig it.