This album is aptly titled: on
Hot,
Jad Fair straightens out his overt quirkiness into pure white punk riot ("Drum Straight"), shimmying garage rock ("Well"), bouncy indie pop ("True Believers"), and ominous metal ("Part of My Plan"). The result is (gasp!) a highly listenable record. The direction on the album has a lot to do with the creative energy of this
Half Japanese lineup, which consists of guitarist John Sluggett (who plays drums for
Moe Tucker), Mick Hobbs,
Jason Willett, and Gilles Rieder. This is a nice mix between in-your-face noise and thoughtful, not too schticky indie pop. ~ Erik Hage