hot water music

caution

‘Listening to record after record for the purpose of critique can be a mind numbing experience. For every decent record that comes in to the office, 20 horrible albums short-circuit numerous pleasure-firing synapses. Although the job of reviewing music might seem appealing, it ruins the music-listening experience. The unconscious singing along to a song never happens anymore. Never.

Then Hot Water Music’s most recent album showed up. Within two or three listens, it became a daunting task to not sing along.

After countless years of dominating the indie scene, these Gainseville rockers are still adjusting to the more comfortable fit of a bigger record label. With more room to breathe, “Caution” sounds more mature and satisfying than previous Hot Water Music releases.

Easily, this album rivals 1997’s “Forever and Counting” as the best HWM album to hit the shelves. “Caution” is undoubtedly smoother around the edges, while still maintaining the rough Fugazi-esque qualities responsible for the impressive list of credentials the band has to its name.

Hot Water Music, a band inspired by the name of Charles Bukowski’s depressing collection of short stories, is one step ahead of the emo-core genre. Their vocals are admittedly raw and from the gut and are matched only by the same heartfelt stylings of Chris Wollard and Chuck Ragan’s vocals. Jason Black’s is also one of the best bassists currently in rock music. The guitar work and drumming does not lag too far behind.

HWM is known for their consistency and energy driven forcefulness, but “Caution” purposely focuses that energy more than prior albums.

The album runs the gamut of styles, in so far as a hardcore band can be versatile; an envelope which HWM keeps pushing further.

The variety of instruments, such as slide guitars and violins, might be less apparent in this album, but its emotional range is much wider. Songs such as “Trusty Chords,” the catchiest song on the album, express lonely and empty sentiments completed by rather clever conceits such as these lyrics from the aforementioned song: “I hate this place but I love these chords. ‘An empty fate just means an even score.’”