Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sun Hotel - "Coast" sample






Awhile back, I posted Sun Hotel's "Team Spirit" EP on this blog. The link I posted was not one from my Mediafire account, so I don't know if anyone who reads this bothered to check it out. If you didn't, then A) you're a chump and B) go here to redeem yourself.

In any case, I received a pretty solid email today from one of the band's members. Attached to that email was a sample of three songs from their first full-length, "Coast", due out in September. (I didn't include the artwork here because for whatever reason I couldn't save it as an actual image file from the email sent. Whatever, internet.)

So yeah, being as this was basically like Christmas for me, I downloaded it immediately to see if they would be able to follow up on the exceptional promise their EP showed and, really, already fulfilled.

Unlike you people who pass over links to great music, these guys are not chumps. They know where it's at. Where's it at? It's in the hazy-yet-muscular guitars, the crashing I-refuse-to-be-in-the-background-drums, and the powerful, emotional vocals and woozy back-up vocals. Sun Hotel, my friends, is where it's at, complete with two turntables* and a microphone.

I'm not sure how you can classify Sun Hotel. I compared them previously to a hazy fusion of Teenage Fanclub and Pavement, which in retrospect feels reductive and inaccurate. Sometimes they sound like the best Silversun Pickups moments, when the floor drops out and you're happily drowning in a sea of distortion and cymbal crashes. But also sometimes they sound like they could take on a stoner-metal sound, or a haunting blues-folk persona. (It should be noted that I'm talking about all the songs they've recorded, not just the three I'm about to provide.) But they always sound like their own band; they're not imitating their influences, they're just incorporating it all into their DNA, and belching out the most beautiful mutt music you can find.

You can check out the sample for the new album hizzere. I gotta tell you guys, I'm pretty pumped for the whole thing.

You can also check out their site and download pretty much everything they've recorded at http://www.sunhotelsounds.com/.

*There aren't actually turntables involved, except the ones you might use to play their new album if they can successfully fund a vinyl pressing for "Coast". They're going to be doing some sort of fund-raising campaign for that; when I know more, you guys will know more.

Peace.