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Make Up The Breakdown
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 23 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 22 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sub Pop
Release Date: 08 October 2002
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
This Sub Pop debut for the British Columbia band falls into the 80s/punk revival category occupied by the likes of French Kicks and Radio 4, although Cure comparisons are more likely (since lead singer Steve Bays' voice sounds, at times, almost identical to Robert Smith's).
Also By This Artist: Elevator Happiness Ltd.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site Sub Pop
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
New Musical Express
Despite all this seemingly new wave-laden, impeccably cool, retrograde influence, 'Make Up The Break Down' is indisputably now.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
No matter your feelings on the mic work, though, you can't help but notice the musical talent at play here, be it in the unusual song structures or the unobtrusive, color-adding use of the organ behind Dante DeCaro's unpredictable chords.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
They inject high-strung pop a la Drums and Wires-era XTC with punk-funk dynamics, while flamboyantly strangulated singer Steve Bays croons like Joe Jackson battling hot-sauce hiccups. [Listen 2 This Supplement, 11/2002, p.14]
Ink 19
Like The Dismemberment Plan's Emergency and I, this seems to glide from one high-energy song to another, each one unique and fascinating by itself, echoing the sparse tones of The Police here and there, or INXS's Kick-era attention to beat in other places.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
Hot Hot Heat have managed to find a corner of the rock universe that hasn't been overkilled and have made an impressive and imaginative album.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
While Hot Hot Heat's sound may be derivative, its songs aren't.
Read Full Review >Nude As The News
Amazingly, the entire package coalesces without sounding tacky, no matter how funhouse-quirky the instrumentation gets.
Read Full Review >Resonance
An exuberant, modern-day, new-wave joyride. [#36, p.60]
All Music Guide
An addictive, densely packed pop gem that ranks among 2002's best albums.
Read Full Review >Spin
One long indie/new-wave rave-up, all spring-loaded guitars, stabbing organs, and footloose drums. [Dec 2002, p.138]
Alternative Press
Splendid ramshackle pop corniness. [Dec 2002, p.81]
Neumu.net
Hot Hot Heat's compelling energy, original hooks and rhythms, and quirky, sometimes indiscernible lyrics combine to make Make Up the Breakdown one of the most energetic and enjoyable listens of the year.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Someone had to pick up where Oingo Boingo left off when Danny Elfman decided to grow old and rich composing film scores.
Read Full Review >Mojo
When on their game -- about two-thirds of this to-the-point-set -- Hot Hot Heat are too breathlessly enjoyable to refuse. [Apr 2003, p.98]
Rolling Stone
Hot Hot Heat prize the backbeat as much as the melody, sometimes more.
Read Full Review >Splendid
Like their NYC peers Liars and the Rapture, HHH are adept at fusing dancefloor polemics with angular guitar atmospherics, yet their sound lacks the sweat-soaked sexual ardor that those groups flaunt so remorselessly.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
By the half-hour's end you might well consider strangling the singer but, by that time, these tunes will have launched their own potent psychological counterblast. [Apr 2003, p.109]
Dot Music
Hot Hot Heat's religious devotion to early eighties new wave is simply embarrassing.
Read Full Review >Uncut
It's a snappy, catchy hybrid, though one that irritates pretty quickly. [Apr 2003, p.105]
Blender
In their desperate eagerness to please, HHH offer a few modest pleasures. [#12, p.143]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 22 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Ashlie W. gave it a10:
I rate this album a 10 because it never gets old and I can listen to it over and over without ever getting tired of it. It is catchy and melodic, with fun tunes so no matter who you are, you'll want to sing along and maybe even dance some. I cannot even pick a favorite from this album, mostly because every song is so fun and unique and has a different reason for being well-liked. Talk to me, Dance with me will have you dancing and smiling with great instrumental solos and everything. Oh Goddamnit is a fun song that is many fans' favorite song. All in alll the album is great, I would recommend it to all over my friends and peers and it makes me happy to hear that someone new is listening to it!
Megan S gave it a10:
Make Up The Breakdown is amazing. Every song is dangerously catchy, and the lyrics are so witty. Each song is very different, and many have several different parts, so the listener is never bored. I can't say what the highlights of this album are, because every song is equally incredible. You'll want to dance when listening to this. This is definently worth your money, and if you like it, also check out Hot Hot Heat's EP Knock Knock Knock.
brian a. gave it a0:
it sucked so bad i threw it out the window
Kess T gave it an8:
This was a very entertaining and overall happy album. It is a major change from all of the dark and depressing music that has been popular these days. If you are looking for something to have fun with check it out. It is definitly worth it.
Michael D gave it a10:
Very well done. Can't wait for their next album.
jao gave it a9:
this album consumed me for 2 months.
Tim B gave it a 6:
There's nothing wrong with this album, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm listening to a slightly cooler version of Sugar Ray. I can't verbalize any complaints other than that it doesn't leave me with anything I didn't have before I heard it -- it's a vague combination of "I've heard this before" and "I haven't quite heard this before, but who cares?". It's fun listening but (to me) largely uninspired and bound for only a few repeat visits to the CD player in the coming years. Is it bad music? Absolutely not. I just haven't yet made it through the entire album without turning to something a bit more substantial.
