Album Review: Chuck Ragan - Till Midnight

Album Rating: B

If you would have told me in 2001 that one of the masterminds behind the ceaselessly gritty Hot Water Music would release something like Till Midnight, a record so soaked in soul, roots and antique shop dust, sometime during the second prime of his career, I would have laughed right in your face and gone on to gloat in my self-assured victory to the tune of "Remedy."  But here we are, over a decade later, and Chuck Ragan is again proving himself to be one of the most successful bilingual artists around, equally fluent in both Americana and punk rock, and still as gruff as ever. Till Midnight  is a powerfully intimate affair, like being welcomed into Ragan's home with open arms to sit on the living room floor and watch him play. You can almost feel the hardwoods shake beneath you as the aged boots stomp in rhythm, all to the long lost pulse of rock n' roll.

Album Review: Hot Water Music - Exister

Album Rating: B

Exister may be Hot Water Music's first album in eight years, but you'd hardly have guessed it. Indeed despite of their hiatus-turned-breakup and a multitude of extracurricular ventures, it's a comeback which finds the Florida quartet functioning as smoothly as ever, yielding inevitably impressive results. It's not identical to the rest of their catalog by any means, and does occasionally seem to lack the bite you'd expect from such an established force. That particular deficiency is, however, made up for by the focus and consistency of its songs, many of which adopt a noticeably upbeat stance in comparison to past works.

Album Review: Hot Water Music - The Fire, The Steel, The Tread/Up To Nothing 7"

Despite being out of the game for quite a tat, fans have never really forgotten about Hot Water Music. Truly, the myriad of bands who cite them as an influence have not forgotten them either, as Hot Water Music have left a crater-like impression on the modern day punk scene.

HWM have been releasing music here and there since their last full-length album, The New What Next, but nothing in the form of a true follow up. The Fire, The Steel, The Tread/Up To Nothing 7" isn't simply a two song collection, but rather, the promise of what is to come, as the band are currently working on a new record. Still, not to be outdone by such momentous news, the 7" is a delight all by itself. Sure it's incredibly brief, but it's a wholly enjoyable, hard hitting work that more than lives up to the name of Hot Water Music.