Alkaline Trio/Hot Water Music [Split CD] [EP]

Hot Water Music, Alkaline Trio

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 22, 2002)
• Original Release Date: January 22, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Jade Tree
• ASIN: B00005UJC0
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,495 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
After touring together and courting similar pop-punk fans, Alkaline Trio and Hot Water Music decided to pool forces for this seven-song EP of original material and covers. Alkaline Trio's new material is true to their current form; the emotional, tripping-over-my-broken-heart stories are about girls and boys getting kicked in the head by their relationships. Ironically, the best song they offer on this disc is "Rooftops," a song taken from Hot Water Music's 1999 album No Division. The song is a nice change of pace from the Trio's usual midtempo trot through their angst-ridden world. HWM takes over for the second half of the disc, offering two original tracks and covering two of the Trio's songs--"Radio" from Maybe I'll Catch Fire and the aptly named "Bleeder" from Alkaline Trio. Although the differences between the two bands sound slight at first, HWM's material feels more urgently driven by the end, mainly because of the sandpapery vocals and more forceful guitar work. Overall, this split EP doesn't break any new ground musically, but it's a decent item for the avid fans of either band. --Jennifer Maerz

Product Description
New split E.P. features tracks that are brand new & exclusive to this release, including both bands covering each other's songs. Jade Tree Records.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 of Alk 3 best songs, 2 GREAT HWM songs and 2 unlistenables, January 20, 2004

By	Campbell Roark "tri-zeta" (from under the floorboards and through the woods...) - See all my reviews

And no more- this is a bit pricey unless you get it used- I'd never shell out a ten-note for five damn songs. then again...

Furs of all (for the completely uninitiated)- Amazon has flubbed the track listing: the first three are played by Alk3, the final four by HWM. And they're not all covers. Only tracks 3, 6 and 7.

Soooo... Queen of pain- easily the best (in one man's opinion), and one of the most-humable tunes Skiba and Co. have crafted. EVER. The chorus will sit in your skull like toxoplasma and not be unrooted...

While you're waiting- Very tight, another good alk3 song. Not as good as Q O P, but still melodic in a way that few of the post-punk set manage. The guy has a great voice and (a quality much lacking in our generation of mush-mouthed frontmen) fine diction. You don't need a lyric sheet for a Alk3 album.

Rooftops- This is my one concession to Alk3- They tear this song up, whereas, originally, HWM play it maybe half as fast (track 8 on No division). I love it. Classic. Also a departure, i feel for Alk3, who usually stick to their lovelorn guns when it comes to lyrical content.

God Deciding- One of my top five HWM songs- this one just floors me every time. HWM fans should be this for this and 'radio,' alone- also, no other HWM song sounds like this one. It is a strange and lonely freak, albeit a fantastic one as far as their clooective discography goes... The vocal call/response/harmonizing chorus is lovely. Short but to the point (and on a mix CD it segues nicely into Where We Belong from Moonpies for Misfits, another fave of mine)

Russian Roulette- I really don't like this song and wonder at its presence, nay- at its very existence every time I'm forced to skip it.

radio- fan-tastic. i don't get some of the Alk3 fans who take umbrage at this cover. i love it as it both 1> demonstrates HWM's musical proficiency and 2> shows that the trio can write a song that nicely transends genres. A great song (one of the two great songs from 'maybe I'll catch fire') and a great cover.

Bleeder- if this is a joke, I'm not laughing. this song grates on my soul in a way that is wholly its own.

Now tehn, Let it be known- I stand firmly on the side of HWM, as regards the whole apparent HWM/Alk3 schism... which I'm sure both bands find rather humorous (my post-punk darlings can take yours!!!!!) Both bands have much to reccomend them. But when I run a marathon- it's my CD-walkman, my hwm 2 disc set, and a change of batteries that I take with me. I think HWM are a rarity in today's post-punk world; positive minded, musically proficient, lyrically engaging, rcok when they're down-charge when they're up, just an all-around killer band. They tour a great deal (or they did when i was in college- I'm not the one to ask anymore, probably) so get out and see them.

I suppose I'd encourage die-hard fans of either band to buy this. but look around for a fair price (shame on you amazon- I doubt that jade tree's catalogue lists this for the nigh-eleven-freakin-dollars you charge...)

Also, this split inspired me to delve into Alk3, and thus far I haven't been too disappointed... Though I do find them a tad one-dimensional- thematically-speaking. how many bad relationships can one punk have, how low can a punk get... heheheheh...

wow. Gephardt dropped out of the primary today. neato.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good. How good? Pretty Darn., January 24, 2002

By	D. Clark "duder" (Milwaukee, WI.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This record has some of the best Alkaline Trio stuff to date in my opinion. The first two tracks are new and unreleased, and sound similar to their latest release on Vagrant records, "From Here To Infirmary". Their third track is an excellent cover of Hot Water Music's "Rooftops", from their Some Records release titled "No Division".

As for Hot Water Music, they cover Alkaline Trio's "Bleeder" from their Asian Man Records release, "I lied my face off" CDEP, as well as "Radio" from another Asian Man Full Length release "Maybe I'll Catch Fire". Of their two previously unreleased tracks, "God Deciding" is pretty much one of the best hot water songs I have heard, but the other song, "Russian Roulette" in my opinion was a little weak.

Overall, this record was great and I am looking forward to others in the Jade Tree split series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not what i expected at all, March 18, 2002

By	"scooby-dew" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

i have been a long time fan of alkaline trio ever since i heard their song 'bleeder' and matt skiba's beautifully melancholly lyrics stayed in my head for weeks until i actually bought their CD. so i was curious to see what this e.p. would be like, i had heard a few songs by HWM and was curious to hear the covers of each other's material...

at first i was blown away by the alkaline material, skiba and company are at their best... again the lyrics are inspired and original ('you've been know to say you are a.o.k. when you are feeling dead inside, i just want you to know i got no place to go until the day you die...') and the music, though lacking in the complexity HWM bring to the fold, fits the mood of the songs... and they even seem to surpass HWM in their cover of 'rooftops'.

at first hot water music's addition to the ep was slightly disappointing, but after a while, the words stuck in my head were not skiba's, but rather hot water material... i was really disappointed at first by the cover of 'bleeder', which is my favorite A3 song, but now i really like it. it's very original, instead of trying to sound like A3, hot water music took their own edge into the song, and it is a great song, but it needs time to grow on you.

find some mp3's from this ep and check out the stuff yourself, and don't be set back by first impressions... the best albums are the ones that aren't initially cohesive, they are the ones which challenge you.