Hot
NEW, FACTORY SEALED!On Hot's opening track, "Drum Straight," Half Japanese burst out with a sound twice the size of the average five-piece combo. But Hot is not all about volume: "True Believers," pays homage to VU's "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Tonight.""This album is aptly titled: on Hot, Jad Fair straightens out his overt quirkiness into pure white punk riot ("Drum Straight"), shimmying garage rock ("Well"), bouncy indie pop ("True Believers"), and ominous metal ("Part of My Plan"). The result is (gasp!) a highly listenable record. The direction on the album has a lot to do with the creative energy of this Half Japanese lineup, which consists of guitarist John Sluggett (who plays drums for Moe Tucker), Mick Hobbs, Jason Willett, and Gilles Rieder. This is a nice mix between in-your-face noise and thoughtful, not too schticky indie pop." - Erik Hage & allmusic.com"The band's proponents (who included Kurt Cobain) saw them as the epitome of a pure, unbridled enthusiasm for rock & roll, the ultimate expression of punk's dictum that rock should be accessible to anyone who wanted to pick up an instrument and play." - Steve Huey & allmusic.com