I feel like it was not too long ago, that I read that Hot Snakes are in the studio. While I was very excited I was also a bit weary. While their last album "Audit In Progress" was a great album, it was not as groundbreaking as Automatic Midnight and Suicide Invoice. Though I felt the same way about Suicide Invoice when I first listened to it.
So, after a couple of weeks of listening to this album, I ready to give it a nice writeup.
First of all, I have to say it is very telling already, by the amount of times I have listened to this, that I enjoy it.
Jericho Sirens starts out with a solid lead track called "I Need A Doctor". Classic "Rick screaming his head off with lyrics that make you kind of uncomfortable" kind of track.
"Candid Cameras" has a Sonic Youth kind of artsy rock style to it.
Then we get treated to "Why Don't It Sink In?", which is somewhere between a the punkest song ever and album filler.
After that they apologize to us with probably the strongest track on the album, "Six Wave Hold Down", comes on. Hot Snakes returns to their Automatic Midnight era sound. Pumping Bass, slides between chords, awesome guitar fills, everything you want in a Hot Snakes song!
Lastly on side A is "Jericho Sirens", I would probably flip the tape over at this point but the next song on side B is really good. I'm just kidding, its not that bad. I like the drum playing very much on this song, and its got the pumping bass synth/DBX 120 thing happening.
"Death Camp Fantasy" starts out upbeat but then becomes more reflective. Also a very solid track. Probably my second favorite.
"Having Another?" Brings us back to their Suicide Invoice sound, very energetic, must be great live!
"Death Doula" also sounds like it could be on Suicide Invoice. Probably in my bottom three tracks list.
"Psychoactive" breaks us out of everything we thought was Hot Snakes, while the style is still Hot Snakes. The mood change at 1:30 makes the hairs on my back stand up.
"Death Of A Sportsman" is also a song that is a pushes the Hot Snakes sound to new territory. Some parts are reminiscent of Ricks work in The Obits. I can sense a Fugazi influence to it. The song ends the album perfectly.
So there you go. If you are a Hot Snakes fan, buy this album, it rocks. If you're not a fan, it is not too late, buy the album.
https://www.subpop.com/
https://hotsnakes.bandcamp.com/album/jericho-sirens
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