EP Review: Hot Club de Paris

on Thursday, June 10, 2010
Words: Saam Das

Hot Club de Paris - 'The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band' EP



I love Hot Club de Paris but honestly, their song/EP/album titles are ridiculous. I mean, 'The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band'? Really? And that comes after their other EP this year called 'With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work?' - although it's nigh on impossible to beat debut single 'Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachotherineachotherforeachother'. To make up for all the nomenclature sillyness, Hot Club actually produce wonderfully energetic math-poppy, jitter-punk with scant regard for consistent time signatures.

The new EP is somewhat of a change from the old Hot Club. Less of the Kinsella-core/Minutemen inspirations and much more of a serene outlook, with a supposed new love of "classic rock". Not that you'd be able to tell from EP opener 'I'm Not In Love And Neither Are You', which could easily have slotted into the two full length records Hot Club have released so far. Excepting the utterly ludicrous guitar solo, which ticks the "classic rock" box. But it should be obvious by now that Hot Club not only embrace the ridiculous, they channel it. And that's why we love them.

The new EP is considerably less ridiculous than usual however, choosing to float along in a more amiable fashion, albeit rotating different influences. While 'Free The Pterodactyl 3' sounds like Hot Club doing an Americana cover of the Broken Social Scene, 'The White Town Express (Get High, Stay Low)' is a throwback to the sixties. This EP is a bit like Hot Club's take on easy listening, an initially bizarre proposition yet ultimately, an enjoyable one.

'The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band' is Hot Club de Paris past, present and future. Possible hints of what's to come but also a healthy smattering of the old, much loved characteristics. Third album? Yes, please.


The EP was released on May 24th and is streaming in full at MySpace. Order at Moshi Moshi.

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