Reviews

First and foremost, I am not terribly familiar with Hot Water Music. The Draft consists of three of the four members of How Water Music (minus Chuck Ragan) and a new guitar player. I was worried about this when it came to reviewing their debut cd, In a Million Pieces, but I think it will help me review it with an unbiased set of ears. With that said, this album kills. The soundtrack to my summer this year has basically been limited to two punk records; The Loved Ones’ Keep Your Heart and Set Your Goals’ Mutiny. I now count In a Million Pieces as my summer-into-fall record. This is a record that is full of that road-trip, window-down energy. It’s the album that I put on when I’m on the train at 8am, heading to work hung-over, because it just makes me smile, bob my head, and mouth the words. The drums are solid and remind me of Kevin Ratterman from Elliott; huge and full, but played to the benefit of the song. Chris Wollard and Todd Rockhill’s guitars weave themselves in and out of each other, free to roam the songs because of Jason Black’s spot-on bass playing. But all of these aspects serve one thing on this record…Wollard’s vocals. This record contains the vocal performance of the year thus far in my opinion. Not to take anything away from the music, but Wollard’s voice just stands out and amazes throughout the first, and every subsequent spin this record takes through your cd player. Just listen to him shout out over the top of a perfectly layered chorus in the opening track; “That’s what I like about it / it’s not so complicated.” Perfection. Or his haunting repetition of the word “go” during the bridge of “Let it Go,” which also features a nice, Rancid inspired groove during the verses. And his shredding vocals during “Alive or Dead” – “Never respectable!” - just leave me wanting to hear the next song. And that’s what makes this record so solid; every song leaves you wanting to hear that next. I’ve found myself getting to the end and just starting over again, smiling as the first guitar strains blare from my speakers…again…and again…and again.
 
All that being said, there are a few complaints. The first, and only true missteps on this record are the verses of “Bordering.” The new-wavey intro is just a bit out of place and slows the pace of the record a bit too much; it verges on sounding like a bad 80s soundtrack tune from a John Hughes film. But Wollard’s voice pulls it from the trash heap in the choruses, which are huge and bleed perfectly into an appropriately epic bridge. I just have beef with those verses. My only other issue arises in the song “Wired.” The tune itself just feels a bit forced and the inclusion of a horn section just seems cheesy. However, this song contains one of my favorite lyrics on the record; “Wired / Wired / I cough when I breathe / Shake every time when I leave this town.” For a debut record, this album is damn near perfect and I can’t stress how phenomenal Wollard’s vocals are. Not to mention, the guys have penned my new favorite drinking song in “All We Can Count On.” Just try NOT swinging your beer to that one! All in all, this record is for fans of Samiam, The Loved Ones, and, of course, Hot Water Music (at least according to friends of mine who are more familiar) and should not be missed by any mid-tempo, punk rock fan.