My Top 10 Albums of 2005: #5

#5: Hot Hot Heat - Elevator
I've always had a thing for quirky pop tunes. Maybe I'm just paying more attention to what's on offer, but Hot Hot Heat sure are a throwback to the times of, say, 1997, when I enjoyed classics like Harvey Danger's Flagpole Sitter, Third Eye Blind's Semi-Charmed Life and Barenaked Ladies' One Week. Witty, unconventional lyrics, pokey little bass movements and a dash of keyboard for good measure. It doesn't mean they can't deliver a mean guitar solo if required, but it sure gives them an edge in letting you enjoy the music as you're listening to it.

There are many other quirky pop/rock indie-but-not-really bands out there; I struggle to explain why I found Elevator so great. Only the lyrics really set them apart from their contemporaries. They're not even lyrics most of the time, spanning from the conversational You Owe Me An IOU, the storytelling Island Of The Honest Man or even the onomatopoeic Jingle Jangle. The bass also intrigues me, unspectacular on its own but somehow mesmerising me in combination with the rest of the band. Amongst it all, songs like Middle Of Nowhere package the band into an easier to listen to form, one that should probably propel the band to greater heights. But alas, bands like this only seem to develop their own cult following, substantial as it may be. Mass suicides excepted, I'm sold on this one.

Elevator also deserves extra credit for its album structure. There's room for an intro and a pounding start, spattered with slower moments but never losing energy, as though each track builds and descends with perfect control. Just as it starts to get away from you at the end, they conclude with Elevator, a ripping track that sticks with you after the music stops. Great albums have that powerful effect on me.