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Apr 10, 2013Given the jam-friendly group’s propensity for live euphoria but recorded disappointment, it’s a relief to hear that the Hiss has finally hit its stride in the studio with Water On Mars.
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Apr 2, 2013All of a sudden, the hooks sink deeper; the simple solos, redolent of Pavement/Malkmus to the axe-max, sound better; and, most of all, the songwriting is muscular.
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UncutMar 29, 2013Some may find it too clean, but it's still thunderously good. [May 2013, p.75]
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Mar 26, 2013Their next release might be a whole ‘nother curveball, but this is a treat on its own terms.
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Mar 22, 2013They’ll get major points for pouring Bleach all over your Nevermind, but don’t miss the trance-and-release rush of the title track.
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Mar 21, 2013The murk and sloppiness of the early records has been mostly swept away.
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Mar 20, 2013Water on Mars is unexpectedly hooky, taking just enough from the catchy '90s alterna-pop it borrows from to root the songs in the listener's mind, but offering enough of Polizze's own voice to keep it from being a mere throwback.
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Mar 20, 2013Water on Mars is a strikingly honest album, with the old school feel of having been played and recorded organically, warts and all.
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Mar 20, 2013The studio polishing shows Polizze’s songwriting strengths, and it doesn’t change the fact that he’s writing from an open, spontaneous place.
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Mar 19, 2013For all its polish, Water on Mars retains a sense of spontaneity, with a handful of soft, folky tunes.
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MagnetMar 15, 2013[Mike Polizze's] an understated master of the rock 'n' roll hook.... With big and booming Superfuzz Bigmuff-style production cleaning up the band's Drag City debut, that distinction becoming clearer. [No. 96, p.58]
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Mar 14, 2013This fourth Purling Hiss album takes a lot of what was exhilarating about the self-titled and Hissteria and adds some structure and melody.
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Mar 14, 2013The cleaner sound of Water on Mars introduces a newfound confidence to the music of Purling Hiss and it's certainly a welcome direction.
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Mar 14, 2013Water On Mars is a very impressive rock LP that easily takes Polizze and Purling Hiss to another level and bears comparison to the best of the nation’s numerous indie rock luminaries.