iSound

hey call themselves Hot Hot Heat, and from the evidence of Make Up The Breakdown, the name is nothing less than an absolute understatement. A sweltering blend of head-pounding enthusiasm, heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics and hard-to-resist melodies, the ten original tracks of Make Up The Breakdown position this Victoria, BC-based quartet front and center among a new generation of back-to- basics rock & rollers. Deft ensemble playing, a firm grip on the short and sweet school of songwriting, and enough swagger and panache for a dozen rank pretenders -- it all adds up to the Real Deal. Little wonder Hot Hot Heat is generating lots of, well, heat from critics on both sides of the border. In a rave review the Los Angeles Times singled out the groups “angular quirkiness and classic pop structures” along with their “twitchy cadences, elliptical melodies and clever yet emotional wordplay.” “All spring-loaded guitars, stabbing organs and footloose drums,” enthused Spin while The Miami New T...