Band: Hot Rod Circuit
Album Title: Reality’s Coming Through
Released By: Vagrant
Purchase: smartpunk
Offical Website: click here
Reviewed By: Julia Conny
Track Listing:
- Inhabit
- Save You
- Fear The Sound
- Cheap Trick
- Failure
- Tell The Truth
- Unfaithful
- The Best You Ever Know
- Crossbow
- Riding A Low
- Moonlight – Sunlight
I do not think I can structure the right words to even remotely express how excited I was for this album. Gladly did I give the extra shipping and handling to Smart Punk, and excited was I to receive my esteemed package in my miniscule dorm mailbox. With as much as I could muster, I was hoping the newest album from Hot Rod Circuit would be the key to my Hot Rod Circuit-obsessed heart. I really do love them that much.
Unfortunately, I have the misgivings of telling you this was not the key to my heart. Eh, not even close. But, you know how occasionally some follow-up albums from your favorite bands turn out so terrible you have to stop listening to them all together. Luckily, Reality’s Coming Through wasn’t that bad. I at least had the pride and patience with Hot Rod Circuit to seek tickets to see a show of theirs over my Thanksgiving break. I was just hoping they would stick to the old, and always trustworthy, old stuff.
Let us progress though the recorded history of Vagrant’s Hot Rod Circuit. First we have the debut If I Knew Now What I Know Then; a completely rough and not all that musically diverse jewel. Harsh and ragged on the edges, it told the true signs of a band new to the recorded market. It didn’t try hard to shine or be laden with poppy riffs of future releases. And it was great. It was that unrivaled inexperience that was so good. Jump ahead to Sorry About Tomorrow, the fourth CD from the band, and while enjoyable in itself, it was confessingly over-produced (thank you Vagrant!). It could not compare to the rough edges of the virgin Hot Rod Circuit because they discovered how to tweak their art. In this case it was ok, because it was still good. Overly catchy, but still good. Part of me was hoping they would rewind and become as unpolished as they were in I Knew Now What I Know Then, but I still adored it because it proved Hot Rod Circuit was a good, solid band with a knack for developing fine-tuned tracks.
Reality’s Coming Through isn’t overly cute or overly bad. All 11 tracks have their own personalities and their individual distinctive qualities. The album is impressive in its variety from song to song. Frontman Andy Jackson has vocals that allow him to gleam and stand out above others. Reality’s Coming Through decides to serenade us with calculated sweet rock rather than the catchy more pop-punked rock of Sorry About Tomorrow. I am a genre whore, and I don’t appreciate lines crossed without my consent, so I can’t say this switch worked to their advantage. Honestly, it is refreshing to say that everything that comes from Vagrant’s factories does not sound the same, because HRC certainly breaks molds, even if it is subtly. Lyrically, well, that’s never been their strong point to begin with. If you loved Sorry About Tomorrow, then, hey, you’ve hit the jackpot; the jackpot is just a bit aged. Then again, if you love Sorry About Tomorrow then you’ve probably never heard the first HRC album anyway. So there you go. Have your field day. It’s HRC. I would recommend the purchase of all their albums, great or not as great, anyway.
Standout Tracks:
Inhabit
Cheap Trick
The Best You Ever Knew
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