HF are an electronica band from Toronto; `Latin' is their third album. Compared to their previous releases (`Holy F**k' in 2005, `LP' in 2007), their songs are more structured and focussed than before. While something might have been lost in terms of spontaneity (or at least the *impression* that anything could happen) evident in previous releases, in my opinion this new approach has helped the band to realise their potential. Throughout I was impressed by the propulsive drumming of Mike Schultz. I loved the way his playing creates and maintains the momentum and mood; there's a lot of subtlety and skill in his muscular playing.
`Latin' is one of those albums where you get the nagging feeling that you've heard bits of the songs before. I'm not talking outright plagiarism or pastiche, more `that sounds a bit like ...', that encourages the listener to hunt down and listen to the song(s) by the original artist just to confirm their suspicions. For example, the track `Silva & Grimes' could have been recorded by Neu!. `SHT MTN' is `Dirt' by Death In Vegas bolted onto the drum intro from the Rolling Stones' `Honky Tonk Woman', seemingly with Ladytron's Mira Aroyo spelling out the band's name in style of a Numbers station. `P.I.G.S.' is the grumpy cousin of The Orb's `Toxygene'. `Red Lights' could be the theme to a long lost 1970's American cop show. `1MD' drifts and then builds like early Slowdive. Admittedly there isn't anything as immediate or pretty as `Lovely Allen', but the high quality of the songs means you don't notice. While the influences and references are disparate everything sounds the work of a single band; wholly Holy F-...
I'm sorry but I need to say this. Why would musicians jeopardise their success by giving their collective a name that's the equivalent of a fourteen year old wearing a Cradle Of Filth t-shirt with `Jesus Is A Canoe' on the back? It isn't provocative nor particularly clever, just a source of slight embarrassment for everyone involved. It also makes reviewing albums by said band a bit tricky on websites where rude words are not permitted. This is a pity since the band - and `Latin' in particular - are worth evangelising about.