Album Review: Hot Water Music - Vows

There's a concept in sports that you can only beat the competition put before you. Outside of the objective sports like track & field where you compete against clocks and measuring tapes, greatness comes in the form of being better than your peers at any given time. Some of the greatest of all time would fall short in other periods, but outpacing the competition still makes you a great. It opens up worlds of debate in the sports world, and perhaps there is something to be said about that for music as well. Is a great album today as great as one from a time I consider better? That's what I've been thinking about lately.

As I've been listening to new records, I'm comparing them to records I'm pulling off the shelf from years ago, and even many of my favorites of today can't out-muscle those that ranked lower in yesteryear. It's an interesting phenomenon, and I think it sometimes leads me to appreciate today's great music less than I should.

Today, let's talk about one of those great records. To do that, we have to start with one that isn't so great. Last year, I was massively disappointed by Spanish Love Songs and their follow-up to "Brave Faces Everyone". They went in directions I didn't understand, and hearing this album from Hot Water Music, my feelings make more sense now. Whereas that band took influence from the 80s and sucked the joy out of screaming for therapy, this band stays in the current millennium and finds the collective energy that comes with sharing an experience.

This music is still firmly in a territory you can call emo, but it's played with an almost optimistic bent in search of anthemic statements we can coalesce around. The vocals are shared, with one voice being so gruff it's almost a pastiche, but that voice is what makes the record work so well. It howls with frustration and pain, a deep echo that clatters in your chest. Not every band can make that connection, so that alone makes this a winner.

Then there are the songs, which largely hit the mark as the anthems of the downtrodden they aim to be. Yes, there is a misstep or two when they veer into 'whoa oh' territory, but I can forgive those. When they hit their best marks, like on "Bury Us All" or "Searching For Light", the band is delivering moments of clarity everyone is going to be able to see themselves in. There is a catharsis to pouring your pain out through song, especially in a way that has an infectious energy. While thinking about others going through the same things isn't an optimistic thought, sharing any experience can make it easier to get through.

That has been the through-line of my favorite records for several years now. It started when Dream State released "Primrose Path", continued on Yours Truly's "Self Care", and last year was imbued in Katatonia's "Sky Void Of Stars". Music that takes the pain and the dark side, but turns them into shimmering songs leading us toward the light at the end of the tunnel, is the rare gift that bridges where we are and where we want to be.

Hot Water Music hit that mark all over this record, with songs like "Remnants" being the fist-in-the-air moment that makes it feel like boxing with God can end with our victory. It won't, we know, but the moment of hope is enough to get us through another day. Often, that's the best thing music can do for us.

This year has been lacking in great music, and the competition is rather weak. Maybe that does help "Vows" rise toward the top of the list, but it would be too simple to say that without acknowledging a great record is still a great record independent of those factors. Hot Water Music has given us a great record, and it doesn't matter whether or not it would be contending for Album Of The Year in 1999 or 2005. It's a damn strong contender this year, and the spark of joy is all we need to worry ourselves with.