The San Antonio-based band Buttercup doesn’t confine their music to the tried and true. On their new, brashly-dubbed album Hot Love, they flex their musical muscle, making their songs ebb and flow with ever-persistent rhythms and arrangements that can incorporate breezy bossa-nova, an acoustic strum or a straight-forward rush of adrenalin. In fact, their reputation for eccentric, off-kilter live performances allows for a seamless transition in a studio setting, from the chorus of flutes piping the riff that underscores “We’re Easy,� to the transition from melancholia to over-the-top grandeur on “Shiyoganai� and the jaunty, jubilant strut of the title tune. Like the Kinks and Barenaked Ladies, two bands from whom Buttercup borrow their template, the songs provide a perspective that’s somewhat askew – playful, irreverent and oftentimes well left of center. It’s an attitude manifest in their buoyant choruses, infectious romps, and an attitude that’s more breezy than blustery. Not that Hot Love doesn’t sometimes overheat; “Contagious� has a strident edge and relentless refrain that brings it closer to Clash territory while “You’ll Just Have To Wait� is delineated by an arched, angular pacing that’s taut and tightly-wound. Still, Buttercup, as their name suggests, provides a rich and tasteful bouquet… and that makes Hot Love one cool catch.
(Release date: May 28, 2006)
– Lee Zimmerman
