Spitfire Tumbleweeds

"Pope Crow" sounds like pure Texan revelry that you'll want to join with. Imagine the Rolling Stones in their early 70's country era, mixed with a little of the White Stripes rollickingly tight but wild rock sensibility. Or maybe like Frank Black's better solo stuff mixed with 16 Horsepower; there's a dark undercurrent to much of the sound, but the band revels in the sad, sometimes angry feelings that their country songs bring out. It sounds on the verge of going off the rails, but always stays on track, and it's a great listen. The mix is totally pro, vocals are mostly dry and up front, but not overbearing, and the bands 8 (!) members keep the songs focused yet varied. I think I can safely say this sounds like it was recorded by the funnest bunch of drunken country rockers ever. - CD Baby

It might be first instinct to say that Denton's Record Hop made a deal with the devil, or with God, or with another spirit entirely to produce its eponymous second full-length release.

Alas, it was none of the above. Rather, the deal was struck with unassuming Shellac frontman and Chicago-based underground music icon Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana).

Albini's recording techniques and the group's natural—if not stupefying—maturation (both in performance and songwriting) found each other like friends-with-benefits after a night at a balls-out rock show. Tracks such as "Rest Stop Murders" and "End of Line" are portraits of balance, showcasing the quartet's ability to tame noise and metal with intelligent melody and vocals both beseeching and ass-kicking. Ashley Cromeens' ability to scream as well as actually sing recalls the know-how of Kim Gordon and the seduction of Polly Jean Harvey—just take in "Slugworth" or "Skirtchaser" for proof. Meanwhile, guitarist Scott Porter has taken to slaying his parts with an amazing grace and passion developed since the group's debut disc, Pareidolia. Cory Ward also offers a fine selection of bass lines to the mix, showing a musical knowledge that clearly expands well beyond rock 'n' roll, and Tony Wann's newish percussive presence isn't lost either—his work is precise and muscular, but never overwhelming, standing out on the songs "Maths" and "Clique."

Record Hop is a flat-out success. With it, Record Hop has taken indie rock through a gauntlet of metal, hair and primal urge—and then left it to vent its anger and lust in your CD player.
- Dallas Observer

"RECORD HOP (www.myspace.com/recordhop) Seeing North Texas' most exciting rock band live is the only chance to hear songs from its upcoming album. Don't miss it." - Denton Record Chronicle

National music blog Stereogum.com recently did a Q&A with influential music producer Steve Albini. When asked if he knew of any new bands "carrying the torch of rock and roll," he replied, "Just did a record for a band from Denton, Texas, called Record Hop, and they were terrific." It's true; the Hop did record some tunes with Albini (known for his work on albums by the Pixies, Nirvana and many more) for forthcoming set In Vino Veritas. No release date just yet. Check out the band at www.myspace.com/recordhop. - stereogum.com

•Denton band Record Hop (who appeared on Quick's cover a couple of days ago) will make copies of its new self-titled CD available next Thursday at its CD release show at Dan's SilverLeaf in Denton. But those of us who saw the band's official showcase at South by Southwest were lucky enough to grab a free copy, hot off the press. Check out the insane artwork by Nevada Hill, with individual lyric sheets inside that feature photos by Hop drummer Tony Wann. This is why you shouldn't download albums. - Quick - Dallas Morning News

Quick! - MARCH 18, 2008 AND Dallas Morning News - March 24, 2008

POP LIFE:
Denton rock band Record Hop doesn't have much time to recover from a busy South by Southwest week. After a handful of shows in Austin, the members are back home, preparing for next week's release of their second full-length album. Recorded by veteran Chicago engineer Steve Albini (who's worked with Nirvana and the Pixies), the simply titled Record Hop builds on the blistering rock of 2004's Pareidolia by better capturing the Hop's live dynamic. We chatted with the band a few days before South by Southwest, in the upstairs arcade room of Denton's Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios.
Hunter Hauk Q: I've been listening to the new record a lot, but I can't really make out most of the lyrics. Intentional?
Scott Porter: Yeah, we've realized with ol' mush-mouth Cromeens ¡­ her big hero is Kurt Cobain, and she always liked how he was more of a phonetic singer than being all, "Here's my message, man."
Q: Thankfully, "What's your message?" not one of my prepared questions.
Porter: It's this man. [Points at cans of beer being brought in.] Two beers.
Q: Cheers! How much has the music changed since the beginning of the band?
Porter: It's gotten more aggressive.
Ashley Cromeens: Perhaps. Louder.
Cory Ward: I was listening at work to our CD the other day at my office and this girl was like, "What are you listening to? Metal?"
Cromeens: What a great thing to hear!
Ward: Yeah, I was happy to hear her say that.
Porter: I'm still convinced we're stoner rock. Except we're a little too quick.
Q: Another possibly annoying question: You've all been in other bands, but when and how did you realize that this was the one that would go the distance?
Porter: I think we got a sense of it very early on when Johnny Mac [John McIntyre] was in the band, because he was such a good drummer. People were responding to it and we started getting press. The highlight of the Johnny Mac time was that we started getting to play a lot of gigs opening for old-school heroes and stuff.
Q: Now you are on your third drummer. How'd you find Tony?
Porter: Johnny Mac and Josh [Prisk] were so good at the way they played and approached songs. ¡­ When Josh moved and decided to leave the band, we looked around Denton, and every other drummer was spoken for. We were about to go into the studio, and I knew that [Tony] liked a lot of what Albini's done. I thought there'd be a good chance this would be the moment Tony would say yes.
Tony Wann: I got a text from an unknown number one night, very cryptic and bizarre. Something like, "Are you ready for the next chapter in the rest of your life?"
Cromeens: Standard Scott text.
Porter: I was outside your window playing with myself.
Wann: So I just kind of ignored it. And the next day, Scott called and asked me to go record with the band and Steve Albini. And I was like, "Yeah, where do I sign up?"
Q: How'd you decide to make it in Chicago with Albini?
Cromeens: Our first record, we didn't think it sounded too much like us. It sounded kind of polished.
Porter: It just didn't capture the live thing. Hopefully when this record comes out, it will help our reputation as a band who can make the most of a studio experience. On the first one, we went into it sort of unprepared.
Q: What did you do to prepare for the trip?
Porter: We practiced more in three months than we had in the previous three years.
Wann: When I joined, we ended up writing three or four new songs. And we kind of reinterpreted some of the others, just because I play a little differently. But it was a dream come true, getting to record with...­
Porter: ...with Ashley Cromeens?
Wann: Yeah.
Q: What was Albini's working style with you guys?
Porter: It was awesome. For the most part, he just pushed the buttons. He's real good at seeing what you are capable of as a band, and looking at your budget and the time you booked. ¡­ With a guy like that, if you walk in and say, "OK, two guitars, bass, drums, big sound, rock 'n' roll" - he records 5,000 bands a year, so he gets it.
Cromeens: He knows how to set everything up and make it sound right.
Q: So you'll definitely go back there for the next one?
Porter: Yeah.
Cromeens: I'd like to.
Wann: Next one? I never signed on for a next one. [Band laughs.]
Q: People see how laid-back Ashley is and can't believe that those vocals come from her. How do you explain it?
Cromeens: I can be an angry person. There's no doubt about that.
Porter: She's well-rounded.
Cromeens: It's necessary to channel it.

INSIDE THE MUSIC
The members of Record Hop talk about their favorite songs on the new album:
Ward: "I enjoy 'Rocket Seance.' It's one of the songs we wrote on the fly, but it's different. It's got a riff that Scott's been trying to get into a song for, like, five years."
Wann: "'Slugworth', because it's just such a good song. And I can say that objectively because I didn't write it. The vocal line seems very genuine and sincere."
Cromeens: "'Maths'. -It's fun to sing and play it, because I feel like I'm in some sort of hippie contest. It just has good flow."
Porter: "'Your War.' - That song sounds like my personal interpretation and vision for Record Hop. It has a break down, freakout part at the end."

BACKGROUND: Porter, Cromeens and Ward formed Record Hop with its first drummer in 2002, after playing in various Denton bands. Wann joined last year just before recording the new album Record Hop at respected engineer Steve Albini's Chicago recording studio.

THE SOUND: Guitar-heavy rock that's played loud enough to please the headbangers, while still sporting crafty hooks and diverse rhythms. There's not a weak link in the lineup, and Cromeens' wailing vocals give the Hop a certain distinctiveness.

SEE THEM LIVE: CD-release party March 27 at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St. in Denton. With opening acts Tre Orsi and Last Men.

WEB SITE: Hear some new tracks at myspace.com/recordhop. - Dallas Morning News