AMG Review of It Was Hot We Stayed in the Water

Heather Phares
All Music Guide

On their third album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, the Microphones present more delicate, almost folky melodies wrapped up in and surrounded by waves of droning, distorted guitars and organs. The naïve, psychedelic experimentalism and girl-boy vocals on songs like "Between Your Ear and the Other Ear" and "The Glow" sound uncannily like an update of Eric's Trip; indeed, the Microphones pay homage to that band with a cover of "Sand." "Karl Blau" borrows the melody of "Blue Moon," "The Gleam" calls to mind some of the Swirlies' early work and Pet Sounds-worthy harmonies abound, but the Microphones' appropriations always feel like tributes instead of a lack of originality, and only add to It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water's distinctive mix of noise and beauty.