You know Nathan Larson. Of course you do. As guitarist/songwriter in the beloved (and now-defunct) artpunk outfit, Shudder To Think, Larson, along side compadre Craig Wedren, not only helped mash signature DC angularity with nineties indie pop sensibilities, he also wowed frothing onlookers with a number of never before seen guitar rock moves such as The Mussolini.

Now, just when you thought you may never have the opportunity to see it again, given Larson<#8217;s palpable success in the more dimly lit forum of film music, (he composed scores for Boys Don<#8217;t Cry, Dirty Pretty Things, Velvet Goldmine, The Woodsman, among many others), he hits us with HOT ONE. A real rock record by a real band! And no- it<#8217;s not for the faint of heart, folks. This is some serious shit.

Along with notable soldiers, drummer extraordinaire Kevin March (Shudder To Think, but also Guided By Voices, Dambuilders, etc<#8230;), Canadian bassist/singer Emm Gryner (singer/songwriter in her own right) and young man Jordan Kern playing the guitar, HOT ONE are insistent, undeniable, loud as All Hell rock, but they are a whole lot more. The band observe the tradition of rock and roll as a medium for social protest, a la the Clash, Public Enemy, Psychic TV, Woody Guthrie, Minor Threat, the MC5, etc<#8230; and it<#8217;s very clear, not only <#8216;cos they have a dot.org, but because they<#8217;re unhappy and they know it. So, they clap their hands. And other stuff.

The self-titled debut features songs like, <#8220;Sexy Soldier<#8221; which is like much of the Hot One oeuvre, a laser beam- brilliant and alluring, yet cuts with precision. <#8220;Waiting For The Rapture<#8221; is Bowie-circa-Hunky Dory with a seductive, down tempo groove and words that poke at the pious and fanatical. Then there<#8217;s a relentless rock grind simply called <#8220;Fuckin<#8217;<#8221; a hysterical commentary sexualizing Our Incumbent<#8217;s raging bloodlust. And so it goes<#8230; Humorous, yeah, but through the fun and games, Larson and company force us to take a real look at the absurdity of the current regime. We<#8217;re left not knowing whether to dance or defect.

Album reviews

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