Hot Snakes

Hot Snakes: Suicide InvoiceSuicide Invoice (2002)
Swami Records

Reviewer Rating: 2

User Rating:

Contributed by: maverickScott
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on June 18th 2002I catch a lot of flak on this site for giving all the "popular" releases low scores. People call me an elitist, a scenester, a prick. They say that I praise unknown bands and shun big name bands. They say that I'm a hype machine for whatever Buddyhead declares as cool. Not this time. "Suici.

I catch a lot of flak on this site for giving all the "popular" releases low scores. People call me an elitist, a scenester, a prick. They say that I praise unknown bands and shun big name bands. They say that I'm a hype machine for whatever Buddyhead declares as cool.

Not this time.

"Suicide Invoice" is the new release from the Hot Snakes, and it bores the shit out of me.

Hot Snakes is the brainchild of Rocket From The Crypt's John Reis, and features current/ex members of Drive Like Jehu, The Delta 72, and a host of other barely known yet highly acclaimed groups. This is their second album. They have been hyped again and again in indie rock circles.

Hype is a dangerous thing.

This album is 12 tracks and roughly 33 minutes of boring, repetitive garage sounding post rock with a rock and roll edge. Singer Rick Farr's vocals [of DLJ, Pitchfork] sound completely monotone, and are at more of a high pitched yelp than anything else. I've listened to this album dozens of times, and only two tracks stay in my mind: one, the annoying "LAX" - the music isn't bad at all, but Rick's voice really just ruins it as he yells "LAX, LA, LA" repeatedly in the chorus. The other track, and the only one that I consider a gem, is the title track. It's probably the strongest track melodically, reminding me of the recent Engine Down album, with Farr wailing "and when I drink / I keep my promises to you / I really do / A suicide invoice." He sounds convincing and sincere, and it takes the song to another level that unfortunately the other 11 tracks do not reach at all.

I hear a lot of promise in this group. I can't believe that people are giving them all this hype - the Strokes were worth more buzz than this. This is a decent album, but nothing more - I can't really recommend this to anyone, unless you're already a fan or you're a fan of the ex member's bands.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

ShortLipUser (December 8, 2009)

clean your ears - this album ranks up there w/ the other stellar Hot Snakes CDs.

moniq (April 28, 2005)

a gem...a real beauty...

Anonymous (October 1, 2004)

This review sucks. 33 minutes of boring music? Have you listened to this CD? You must have horrible music taste.

Anonymous (September 9, 2004)

the reviewer likes Engine Down. I rest my case. Also, this reviewer does not seem to be all that familiar of Drive Like Jehu. Those who know, know what I am talking about. One example, Cody Votolato, the guitarist of the blood brothers, lists them as his main influence. He is just one of countless others. Calling Rick Fork's vocals montone and insincere, is like saying that Ian Curtis' vocals were monotone, or better yet, Bobby Dylan. Yet their artistry surpasses these flaws that idiots like to point out, like this reviewer. Hot Snakes aren't as great as Dylan, or Division, obviously, but this reviewer is trying to compare this isupposed superioty of Engine Down to the Hot Snakes. Again, I rest me case.

Anonymous (August 14, 2004)

the song suicide invoice alone gives this album a high score. hot snakes are the only "garage rawk" (i hate that they don't even play in garages) worth listening to, but then froberg and reis can do no wrong it seems. if only the resurgence presidented this genius instead of the poor kiwi tat in flares and a bunch of kids from memphis with bad burns and hogan tash's. xox, suicide invoice, these tunes alone should put mtv2 out of business.

Anonymous (July 22, 2004)

Shut the fuck up & die!
This records rocks!

Anonymous (December 22, 2003)

this album is absolutely incredible; you couldn't have picked a worse album to make "an exception to the rule" for
nobody has been doing the garage-meets-math rock-meets-fugazi-inspired rock (or whatever you call this) like this since drive like jehu (of which this band contains several members), and the hot snakes may even do it better
i don't know how you could be "bored" by this, but to me the formula they're working with is revolutionary

Anonymous (February 28, 2003)

hahaha you are a fucking idiot

Anonymous (December 17, 2002)

you're fucking stupid

Anonymous (June 20, 2002)

Drink is better? No way, d00d. I think the whole point of the song is the death/sleep metaphor. "and now I answer to you in my sleep." Anyways, you're not missing much with the artwork. The insert is a single piece of paper, artwork on one side, track listing and recording info on the other. Oh, and there's an ad for an RFTC record Swami is releasing (or rereleasing, I suppose) in July.

JOE_MOMMA (June 19, 2002)

Buy for a while you lover men. And women. I go on vacation to spain where the spainish live and they are nice and they make spagetti. So by by miss american pi.

maverick (June 19, 2002)

My apologies. To be honest, I think it's better if the word was "drink," but that's just me.

Besides, Swami only sent me a CD in a clear plastic sleeve, no liner notes or anything. I had to decipher it by myself.

-Scott

Anonymous (June 19, 2002)

Oh, the line is "When I dream I keep my promises to you" NOT "drink." That changes the entire song. Did you even listen to it? He's always talking about sleeping and waking. It's not rocket science.

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

i haven't hear this one but i have the first and i liked it and pretnesious is a horrible way to describe the hot snakes. the is nothing pretensious about their sound. as for hype this hasn't gotten strokes style hype at all maybe the band seams hyped to people who didn't know aobut them when the first record came out and alot of people liked it and were waiting for a second one. nobody has really written anything about this record yet. so where's the hype?

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

Have you heard the first one, Scott? Yes, sometimes its overly simple, but somehow, I think that's the point. There's something intangilble about it that's very fresh or something. Hope this one doesn't disappoint..

--Cos

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

i really enjoyed the first hot snakes album, but sadly this one awful.

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

One more thing, why do you offer the MP3 of I Hate The Kids? It isn't even the album version. Swami put up an early version of the song that's about 1:30 long as opposed to the 3:00 album version. If the point is to give people a taste of the album, it isn't much.

ludacris (June 18, 2002)

of course buddyhead likes this, it's boring and pretentious as fuck. fuck them, fuck this record and fuck the whole west coast for this shit.

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

You're nuts. This is one of the best records to come out this year. I even like it more than Automatic Midnight. These songs grab me a lot more than that first album did. "Suicide Invoice" and "Why Does It Hurt" are amazing tracks. "Bye Nancy Boy" is pretty catchy, too. So anyways, this record is very cool, but I don't think it's necessary. If you've heard one Hot Snakes song, you've heard most of them.

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

Buddyhead sucks, always has, always will - bigjerk

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

Ha! buddyhead, weren't their 15 minutes up some time ago?

Anonymous (June 18, 2002)

Kill, annihilate, destroy, obliterate, brutalize, dehumanize!

JOE_MOMMA (June 17, 2002)

Woop woop! bling bling this mad shiznit is off the chain. Aint no shizzy fiz in dis shunky yall. Fo real