Sunday, January 16, 2011

Favorite Tracks - It's Hard to Know by Hot Water Music

I absolutely love Hot Water Music. It's one of those bands that is completely unique, and no one even comes close to their level of brilliance. Sadly, I got into them way too late, after they had broken up, and I never had the chance to see them live. They did get back together a year or two back, but the fact that I'm Europe means that my chances of seeing them are pretty low. Back in Miami, they would have been considerably higher, as the band was native to Gainesville, Florida.

Choosing a favorite Hot Water Music record is an exercise in futility, as each one has a very different personality. The band as a whole grew and changed throughout their career, with a trademark sound, but continually changing. Whether they were improving or not is a personal taste, but I appreciate the fact that they never remained stagnant. 

The high point of their career, in my humble opinion, is their 1999 album, No Division. That's the point where the dual vocals reach perfection, and become an entity of itself. I remember my wife once asked me what my favorite song was (although, to be honest, it changes every week), and I chose one from this album called It's Hard to Know. The most compelling part of it goes something like this...

It's hard to find your way through the darkness, it's hard to know what to believe.
But if you live by your heart and value the love that you find, when you have all you need.
To run , don't follow
. Lead a life the best we know.

She listened to it and asked me if it was a love song. It's not, at least not in the conventional sense, but it's a song about loving and living life. I told her yes, but she wasn't impressed with my explanation.

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