Make Up The Breakdown
by Hot Hot Heat
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Oct 8, 2002
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. New Musical Express (NME)
    90
    Despite all this seemingly new wave-laden, impeccably cool, retrograde influence, 'Make Up The Break Down' is indisputably now.
  2. Nude As The News
    80
    Amazingly, the entire package coalesces without sounding tacky, no matter how funhouse-quirky the instrumentation gets.
  3. Pitchfork
    87
    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.
  5. Stylus Magazine
    87
    One of the more unique pop albums of the year.
  6. Playlouder
    80
    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.
  7. AllMusic
    80
    An addictive, densely packed pop gem that ranks among 2002's best albums.
  8. Austin Chronicle
    67
    Someone had to pick up where Oingo Boingo left off when Danny Elfman decided to grow old and rich composing film scores.
  9. Dusted Magazine
    80
    Breakdown is gleeful, digestible, and eminently enjoyable.
  10. Alternative Press
    80
    Splendid ramshackle pop corniness. [Dec 2002, p.81]
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  11. Neumu.net
    70
    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.
  12. Dot Music
    50
    Hot Hot Heat's religious devotion to early eighties new wave is simply embarrassing.
  13. Mojo
    60
    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]
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  14. Q Magazine
    60
    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]
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  15. Rolling Stone
    60
    Hot Hot Heat prize the backbeat as much as the melody, sometimes more.
  16. Uncut
    40
    It's a snappy, catchy hybrid, though one that irritates pretty quickly. [Apr 2003, p.105]
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  17. Blender
    40
    In their desperate eagerness to please, HHH offer a few modest pleasures. [#12, p.143]
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  18. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    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]
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  19. PopMatters
    80
    It's a great way to start off a career.
  20. Resonance
    80
    An exuberant, modern-day, new-wave joyride. [#36, p.60]
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  21. Spin
    80
    One long indie/new-wave rave-up, all spring-loaded guitars, stabbing organs, and footloose drums. [Dec 2002, p.138]
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  22. The A.V. Club
    80
    While Hot Hot Heat's sound may be derivative, its songs aren't.
  23. Ink 19
    80
    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.
  24. Splendid
    60
    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.

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Most Discussed Album of 2002

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 1 out of 18
  1. AshlieW.
    Aug 3, 2007
    10
    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 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!… Full Review »
  2. MeganS
    Jul 25, 2006
    10
    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 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.… Full Review »
  3. briana.
    May 29, 2005
    0
    it sucked so bad i threw it out the window
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