Pitchfork

It seems that Hot Hot Heat missed capitalizing on the danceable indie rock cash cow by a mere five minutes. While Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture suckle at the teat of awkwardly jitterbugging scenesters, Hot Hot Heat have laid low since releasing 2002's cellulite-rattling pop gem, Make Up the Breakdown. Now it's two years later, and the Canadian quartet are looking to get a piece of that oh-so-tasty pie. A post on their website earlier this week reveals that the band is hard at work on their forthcoming Warner Bros. debut, and that they're tentatively shooting for November release date.

The record is being produced and mixed by Dave Sardy, who, in addition to having worked with a veritable who's who of rock music-- including Enon, Jet, Oasis, the Dandy Warhols, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers-- had his own little spaz-outfit in the 90s under the moniker of Barkmarket. In the post, singer Steve Bays writes that Hot Hot Heat recorded 25 demos for the forthcoming album, before finally narrowing the selection down to a scant 12 for the final cut, "with a little heartbreak over the lost three (which should hopefully show up as B-sides on the singles)."

Bays says the bass and drum work for the as-yet-untitled LP have already been recorded. He and guitarist Dante DeCarlo will be tracking the guitar and vocal parts next week, with "piano, organ and additional percussion" soon to follow. "We had a guy known as the 'Drum Doctor' working on the drum sound with us who was incredible... he gave us 'The Terminator' (the snare he also used for Nirvana's Nevermind) for a few songs."

Given the progress the band has made, Bays felt confident enough to offer some small indications as to what fans should expect from the disc: "Now that we've laid the foundation of the recording, we're beginning to hear how the album is going to sound, and it's really cool to hear the efforts of the last six months finally come into fruition. It's starting to feel like it's going to be a way bigger leap from Make Up the Breakdown than we had anticipated."

In related Hot Hot Heat news, "Le Le Low", the leadoff track on the band's 2002 single Knock Knock Knock, will be offered in a rare live version on the forthcoming compilation, CBC Radio 3 Sessions, Vol. 1. The disc features 16 tracks performed live on the air for the Canadian radio station by a number of notable Canadian indie artists. Tracklist:

01 Sloan: "Losing California"
02 The New Pornographers: "The Fake Headlines"
03 Hot Hot Heat: "Le Le Low"
04 The Hidden Cameras: "Music Is My Boyfriend"
05 The Dears: "Expect The Worst/'Cos She's A Tourist"
06 Kid Koala: "Drunk Trumpet"
07 Manitoba: "Leila"
08 Brassmunk: "Push Up"
09 The Organ: "A Sudden Death"
10 Tricky Woo: "Hot Kitty"
11 The Constantines: "Blind Luck"
12 Rheostatics: "Harmelodia (Easy To Be With You)"
13 The Sadies: "I Tried Not To"
14 Buck 65: "The Anthem"
15 John K Samson: "Utilities"
16 Oh Susanna: "King's Road"