The Hiss - Panic Movement

Reviewing this album made me give some thought to the whole notion of record contracts. I know it has a lot to do with self-promotion and exposure, but really, how do some bands get record contracts and others don’t? Everyone I know is in a band, so what makes the Hiss so special and "better" than them? I'm not sure. For those of you who read New Musical Express often, a good description of the Hiss is to put them among bands lauded in NME such as Jet, The Cooper Temple Clause, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and others who play the (sometimes) cookie-cutter, uninspired rock. The Hiss seem to understand how to out together a good riff and how to get that we-paid-our-producer-extra-to-get-that-lo-fi-sound, but what has resulted is one of the most uninspired rock albums I have heard this year. Lyrics are about nothing of interest, mainly, how someone left them and how rockin’ they really are. Surprisingly, the best track on the album, "Listen to Me," is unlike any other track on Panic Movement. Here, we can finally see some true creativy and passion along with an actual memorable hook and tone to this pseudo-love song. The Hiss may make it due to hype, good promotion and image, but I doubt that can sustain them for long. [www.thehiss.com]