Oct
31
2006

Heavy Meadow

Dead Hot Workshop's New Record

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 01:21:32 pm
(Posted Under: Tempe Music Scene Tempe Music Scene, Music Music)
Dead Hot Workshop are back with a new record, slated for release on Nov 22. I actually about this on Mark Zubia's blog (at the start of this month - feels like it was last week. Where has this month gone?), announcing a double Los Guys / Dead Hot Workshop CD release party. Which was surprising, and a surprise to hear about it like this. The album has seemed to come out of nowhere, and it was weird to have not heard any talk about it previous to an announcement of it's CD release party. Admittedly there was some very vague talk about a record a while back, but nothing concrete, or highly talked about.

So, to hear the first concrete info once the record was done really makes it seem like it came out of nowhere. The band has been active (with G. Brian back, and Kyle Babb) since 2000 on and off, but to have a new record on the cards on a months notice is really a trip and unexpected.

Four tracks (Pacifist Fight Song, World, It's A Shame, Elly Bussa Touch The Sky) have been posted to the bands myspace page. (http://www.myspace.com/dedhot). Absolute, pure, unadulterated, psychotic Dead Hot goodness. All 4 songs (well, Elly Bussa Touch The Sky isn't necessarily a 'song') are awesome.

I loved them all straight away, which I is actually my quickest Dead Hot Workshop uptake ever. Don't get me wrong, I always come around to the Dead Hot, but almost every album (with the exception of White House) has been a wait to get into...

Initially, with 1001 I didn't get it. Back in 1996, I was pretty excited to finally hear Dead Hot Workshop. But it just didn't click. It wasn't my thing, despite my wanting it to; and listening to the album several times over a 3 month period. Sometimes you have to surrender the fantasy - I listened to the album for what was going to be the last time ("one more time, then I reside to the fact that I don't like it"), and amazingly and instantly I saw the light - it clicked on that listen. From then on I couldn't say enough about 1001 and Dead Hot Workshop.

Then I got River Otis sometime in 1997 - loved 257 the rest of it, I didn't necessarily love. I could listen to it, but general felt like "it ain't no 1001". I've finally come to appreciate River Otis has a whole (particularly E Minor) this year than I ever had before.

Then in 1999, it was Old Favorites And New Ones Too, which I first heard in Iowa, and hence had particular connection with that. Loved select tracks (moreso on Karma), but overall never really embraced the albums the way I did 1001. And thought of them as "post Larson Dead Hot Workshop" and that I preferred the "Larson era" of Dead Hot Workshop. Like 1001 (but with a 6 year delay, vs. 3 months [smile] ), it all clicked this year (as I posted earlier this year). And I can't live without, or imagine living without either of these albums. So much so, that I'd quote these as my favorite albums of 2006 - despite the fact they came out in 1997 and 1998.

White House which I got in circa 2000 really didn't take much getting used to at all.

In contrast, with these tracks from Heavy Meadow, one listen was all it took. The only bad thing about them is that it makes it so much harder to wait for November 22 to roll around!

This selection from the album further clearly illustrates how Dead Hot Workshop has moved forwards over the years, while completely not deviating one inch from what they started out doing 16 years ago.

If anyone asks who is the best band in the world, known by probably 0.1% of it, there is only one answer: Dead. Hot. Workshop.
Now Playing: Dead Hot Workshop - Pacifist Fight Song

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