Customer Reviews

If It's Cool With You It's Cool With Me

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

 

 

I picked this up after seeing them in Cincinnati in July of '01. The disc has been in heavy rotation since. Filled with eleven rock songs, the only time it lets up on the blistering pace is on the slide-accompanied "This is Not The Time or the Place" and the closing track "What's Left Standing". My current favorites are "Supersad", "Smithsonian Liver", "Cool With Me", and "The Power of the Vitamins".

The album doesn't do justice to their live show. If they could capture that, much like At the Drive-In did on Relationship of Command, I'd have given it a five, no questions asked.

Go see 'em live when they come to your town, and watch out for Casey on guitar, he's a madman.

This is better than emo. This cd and the Get Up Kid's "Something to Write Home About" are the two cds that I think transcended the eventual stereotype of what was called "emo." When you think of emo you think of clean treble bass, overdubbed power chords, and a 16 year old kid singing in a sometimes poppy harmony and sometimes cheesy scream about some girl whose attention he cannot get. That's not what this cd is about. It's much more rich, adult and smart. The bass is a wall of thundering doom. The guitars are rock solid but there is abundant noodling and lead lines that add to the song without taking it off course (listen to the crescendos in the chorus of The Power of the Vitamins for an example of how it really adds to the song). It's hard to describe. There's just that genuine feel that you used to find with bands like Superchunk and Dinosaur Jr. As for the vocals, you either like it or you don't. It's not screamo. It comes off strong and legit. It's almost like the truly enlightened people would be listening to this cd while everyone else they know listens to New Found Glory.

...go see hot rod circuit! I bought this cd when I saw them at the vagrant show in chicago (at the metro). I heard mixed things about this band, so wasn't particularly interested in buying their cd. but after seeing a wonderful display of talent, at which I was totally amazed, I decided to buy this album instead of my usual hoodie/tshirt (they were all out of hoodies anyways! :( but that's besides the point...). It's a great album, which I am hesitant to call emo, but definitely seems to have emo influences in their music. I think I should say-if you are looking for a particular genre-the usual poppunk sound that most vagrant bands have, mixed in with a bit of emo in their writing, not really in their guitars, though. buy this album, it's really good if you like bands like std, tguk, etc.

I just saw Hot Rod Circuit live, with The Get Up Kids and Superchunk, a few nights ago. They were an incredible band, with lots of energy and talent. The guitarist got really into the music, and the singer put so much effort into his lyrics.
They put on a much better show than Superchunk, or even The Get Up Kids (one of my favorite emo bands). I think this CD is their best, so its definitely worth it. If you have a chance go see them live. Their music is amazing, and they don't get enough recognition for their work.

Much better than Sorry About Tomorrow, but not better than much else out there... gave it two stars cause I like the first two songs.

Hot Rod Circuit is a lot Rodney Dangerfieldl; they both get no respect and they're both twirling twirling twirling towards death. This album is very good and believe it or not If I Knew Now what I Knew Then is even better. But Vagrant Records has once again lured one of my favorite bands into the world of record sales and headline tours. Hot Rod Circuit played the Olympics recently. Their newest songs on the new Vagrant Comp. are popped out to the max. Not that they're bad or anything (they're waaaaaayyy better than Audio Learning Center or Viva Death) but they've taken a step backwards. Pick up this album in the meantime. Highlights are the Power of the Vitamins and Flight 89 (North American).