Rock Arithmetic: Hot Hot Heat = The Cure + The Killers and a couple other hot equations

News Type: Event — Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:51 AM EDT

entertainment, modest-mouse, the-killers, the-cure, sublime, ben-harper, tokyo-police-club, hot-hot-heat, bedouin-soundclash, modern-english

Mike Dojc

Tokyo Police Club deep in the songwriting process

This story first ran in the June issue of Chill Magazine.

Rock Arithmetic - -Where Easy Math Helps You Make Snappy Sense of Bands You Might Dig

1) Tokyo Police Club = Modern English + Modest Mouse This Newmarket Ont. outfit is barely out of their parents' basements and they've already landed a boatload of prime gigs. They've played Glastonbury, Coachella, SXSW and they performed on David Letterman just this past April. Their juicy post-punk tuneage and tasty hooks go down as sweetly as a candy bar. Race through their whirlwind 28-minute debut full-length album, Elephant Shell and you'll be clamoring to pickup their earlier EP's to keep their refined sugar buzz going longer.

Tracks to try on for size

In a Cave
Nature of the Experiment

2) Bedouin Soundclash = Sublime + Ben Harper
A perfect accompaniment to hackysack circles, jerk chicken picnics and paying respect to Jah, file this Kingston Ontario trio under head nodding mellow gold.
The chill rocksteady reggae of "When the Night Feels my Song" first put the Soundclash on the map when Zellers picked up the hummable tune for a T.V. ad. But no problem mon, while their vibey songs will sooth your soul, they're unlikely to inspire an unplanned shopping spree.

Tracks to Try on For Size

12:59 Lullabye
St Andrews

3) Hot Hot Heat = The Cure + The Killers Victoria B.C.'s HHH will bathe your auditory organs in a surging rush of peppy riffs, wily rim-shot ripostes and addiction forming wail-along choruses. While lead yelper Steven Bay's affected delivery is an acquired taste, whether he's mooning about a relationship that took a wrong turn or just philosophizing and engaging in witty wordplay, the propulsive melodies will eventually get to you. Repeated listens will hook you line and sinker and you'll be dancing as spasmodically as a fish out of water.

Try These Tracks out for Size:

Bandages
Let Me In

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{"commentId":2277151,"authorDomain":"abcrow"}

ann in Texas

Hi Mike, thanks for the suggestions and cool concept. #3 especially intrigued me because I love the Cure and the Killers, but their grooves seem opposite -- the Killers are manic, the Cure is depressive ;) Both great in different ways.

I just listened to both Bandages and Let Me In from Hot Hot Heat, and you are on to something there. I like both songs and have added them to my Dance playlist on youtube.

I'll check out your other recommendations in a bit.

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2 votes

#1 - Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:25 AM EDT

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Mike Dojc

Awesome Ann!! I'm gald you like HHH, they're a pretty cool band.

{"commentId":2278788,"threadId":"319541","contentId":"1682998","authorDomain":"dojc"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:09 PM EDT

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MIKE DOJC

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Rock Arithmetic: Hot Hot Heat = The Cure + The Killers and a couple other hot equations

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