Customer Reviews

Finding the Rhythms

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted to write a review since nobody else has, and I just love some of the songs on this "album", although it really is more like 2 EP's smashed together on one disc (more on that in a minute...)

Also, I am no HWM expert or this-is-my-favorite-band-ever kind of fan. However, I do like their music. A lot. This is my opinion of this album, so you are free to disagree.

I was introduced to HWM with this album back in '97/98. I was immediately drawn to the basslines and vocals on "Scraping" and "The Passing." But it wasn't until 9 years later that I truly found an appreciation for it when I spent time really listening (and reading) the lyrics. Now "Counting Numbers" is by far my favorite HWM song. There is just something very "honest" about this band's music.

OK, so this album is far from perfect. I'm a stickler for sound quality, but can overlook it to an extent to hear the song within. Like I said, it's really like 2 EP's put together. The quality on tracks 1-7 recorded by Steve Heritage are decent, but not overly clean (which is not a bad thing in this case) like later releases which are much more polished (when they certainly had a larger recording budget). I can't even listen to the 2nd half of the album because the quality is so poor. Maybe that's not fair, but that's just my opinion. I think it would have been smarter to release them as 2 separate EP's, but enough about that...

So if you are already a HWM fan, you probably already own this album and you are reading this review to see if you agree/disagree with what other people think. That's cool. If you are not a fan and are just interested in hearing HWM, I recommend getting another album first then come back to this. Like I said, I love the first 7 tracks on this, with Counting Numbers currently being my favorite HWM song. I like the fact that I was drawn in by the melodies and overall sound of the band enough that I wanted to read the lyrics just so I could understand what they were talking about. Once I understood, I was hooked.

This album is part of what I consider the third wave of hardcore. It's when bands no longer merely tried to imitate the 'hardcore sound'. Bands were incorporating new sounds and new genres into hardcore. The results were mixed. Some bands/sounds were experimental novelties, fads, or just plain messes. But a few bands used the opportunity to just express their own voices and ended up producing unique and incredible music.

This album is an organic mix of southern rock and hardcore. Don't let that description scare you. The result is music that is soulful and passionate. It is also aggressive enough to still be called hardcore but that aggression isn't artificial and never interferes with the music. What drives the music (true to the album's title) are the rhythms. There is great music going on. The only caveat I offer is that the album is raw. It is not refined or over-produced. Again, don't be scared. The benefit is that the listener gets a magnificently pure and unmediated piece of art.

This is also a true album, there is a coherent sound and theme here. It's like taking a picture that tells a story. You can breathe it in and get a sense of time and place. And it evolves: going from outright aggressiveness to driving passion to a soulful finish.

Hot Water Music's other albums are more straight forward hardcore. Some people prefer that sound. But if you want something special, something a music lover (and not merely a hardcore lover) will appreciate, then try this album.

This seems to be the Hot Water Music album everyone forgets about, but it's probably my favorite. I'm a sucker for post hardcore bands like Braid and Fugazi, so naturally HWM draws me in just on their sound alone. What makes these guys so great, though, is the songs. Just listen to "Bound" and "Floor" and you'll feel like shouting along. The vocals are excellent-gruff, passionate, loud, and raw. Most of the songs are just pure energy, but the slower songs are awesome too. "Arms Can't Stretch" and "Eating the Filler" are quite anthematic. With this CD, Hot Water Music took emocore into a new league.

my first hwm album was, "fuel for the hate game." and ever since that day i bought that cd...ive been hooked, the have some of the most thought provoking lyrics i have ever heard. i usually listen to punk like nofx and lagwagon, but hwm is just brilliant. everyone should listen to them, i think they should write us a new national anthem.

Fans of Hot Water Music generally have grief with this album. The recording quality is less than favorable, the singers haven't quite found their vocal niches yet. But in my opinion, 'Finding the Rhythms' has what the other albums lacked, raw sincerity. Personally, I believe this is the only must-own record they ever put out.