It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is the second studio album by American indie rock band the Microphones, released in 2000. First pressings of the album as an LP came in a gatefold sleeve with a pop-up, alternative front cover, and an insert with lyrics and a poster. A book of sheet music was also released.

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water
Studio album by the Microphones
Released	September 26, 2000
Recorded	September 24, 1999 – March 6, 2000
Studio	Dub Narcotic in Olympia, Washington
Genre	Indie rock indie folk noise rock lo-fi drone
Length	41:26
Label	K Records P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.
The Microphones chronology
Window (2000) It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (2000) Blood (2001)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Consequence of Sound	[2]
NME	8/10[3]
Pitchfork	9.2/10[4]
PopMatters	8/10[5]
Spectrum Culture	4.5/5[6]
Sputnikmusic	4.5/5[7]

Music and lyrics

Recorded at Dub Narcotic in Olympia, Washington, It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is the first of the Microphones' "elemental" trilogy, centering around the themes of water, fire and stone, respectively.[8] Musically it features a dry,[8] rough, heavy rock sound.[9] The opening track, "The Pull", is composed in an atypical structure and features off-key fuzz-altered electric guitar, reverb-soaked snare drums and lightly-strummed acoustic guitar, stereo-panned in both left and right speakers.[4]

Reception

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water received critical acclaim. Matt LeMay of Pitchfork praised the album's off-kilter nature, describing it as "one of those rare albums that obliterates your expectations of a traditional rock album, yet remains potent and accessible."[4] Pitchfork later included the album in their year-end Top 20 Albums of 2000 ranking.[10]

According to Daniel Mescher of Colorado Public Radio, It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is "widely regarded as [an] indie pop classic."[11]

Track listing

1. "The Pull" – 4:53
2. "Ice" – 2:19
3. "Sand" (Eric's Trip cover) – 1:53
4. "The Glow" – 11:06
5. "Karl Blau" – 1:43
6. "DRUMS" – 3:18
7. "The Gleam" – 2:52
8. "The Breeze" – 2:00
9. "(Something)" – 4:34
10. "Between Your Ear and the Other Ear" – 3:13
11. "ORGANS" – 3:30

Personnel

• Phil Elverum
• Khaela Maricich
• Mirah
• Jenn Kliese
• Anna Oxygen
• Karl Blau
• Jason Wall
• Calvin Johnson

References

1. Phares, Heather. "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water – The Microphones". AllMusic. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
2. Arroyo, Steven (June 7, 2013). "Album Review: The Microphones – It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water [Reissue]". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
3. "The Microphones: It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water". NME: 44. October 21, 2000.
4. LeMay, Matt (August 31, 2000). "The Microphones: It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
5. Kelly, Neil (July 1, 2013). "The Microphones: It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (vinyl reissue)". PopMatters. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
6. Clinkenbeard, Jon (July 31, 2013). "The Microphones: It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water (Reissue)". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
7. Tree, Joshua (November 16, 2008). "It Was Hot, We Stayed In The Water". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
8. Pearson, Paul (2013-07-11). "The Microphones : It Was Hot, We Stayed In the Water". Treblezine. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
9. Alexander, Colin; Benton, Dave (2013-09-10). "A very Spook Houses guide to The Microphones reissues". Impose. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
10. Dark, John (January 1, 2001). "Top 20 Albums of 2000". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
11. Mescher, Daniel (October 8, 2014). "Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie: "Songs are evolving, living things"". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2020-08-10.