The Hotelier - Goodness (May 27, 2016) Album • Page 151

Yo looking through "#thehotelier" on Instagram, looks like people have already got their Goodness Pt1 7". They must've preordered it separate from Goodness.

 

Quoter from Christian in Reddit AMA

"I don't "prefer" they. He/him they/them. Both my gender and sexuality are very grey and very private.

-Christian"

 

No you're good dude!:)

 

Been driving Lyft for some extra cash and just picked up a dude about my age and I had this album on really low. We were talking and he was a really cool dude and suddenly he goes "is this the new Hotelier?! Are you going to the show Tuesday? Turn this shit up!" We proceeded to shout Two Deliverances together and it was the coolest shit.

 

you get his number?

 

Already had it with the Lyft app but yeah he told me hit him up at the show haha

 

Listened this today with the windows rolled down and 90 degree weather in my car, it was perfect. Screaming the lyrics to sun, you in this light felt so good. I can't believe how much I enjoy this..

 

I think Christian has a good voice

 

Check out this clock my buddy Mark made!!! So sick!

 

thats so cool

 

Local record store had two copies on vinyl and the CDs on the front rack

 

I'll reference s couple things going on in here:

People who only listen to mainstream don't have a lot to compare to. My boss likes radio rock, and when I showed him bands like Foxing, pentimento, turnover, coheed, thrice, etc., he doesn't really have a reference point. Don't get too down on these types of people, especially if they are liking it.

I like Christian's voice a lot now, but it was off putting to me for a while, and that kept me from getting into home for longer than most, so I definitely get where people who aren't familiar with their work would say that.

I said earlier in the thread this hasn't quite clicked with me yet. My wife and I spent the day at a gardens/park area, driving around, walking trails, and I was listening to this whenever we were in the car, and it definitely fits the "outside in nature" bill. I still haven't sat down with the lyrics, but musically, I'm definitely down with this.

 

I hated his voice the first time I started "An Introduction to the Album". That first note hurt the song for me for a long time. His more aggressive vocals were way more immediate for me than his singing.

 

Does this mean that either male or neutral pronouns are appropriate?

 

Loving You In This Light right now. Might be my new current fav on the record.

 

Yes.
At least to the public as of now

 

I've really come around to Sun today

 

The last time I felt a record that was this IMPORTANT (in all caps of course) to the modern indie rock community was probably honestly when they dropped Home. This band just has a way of connecting in ways that precious few artists ever do or ever will.

I'm currently beginning the process of writing my own review of this (basically pulling quotes I want to discuss from both the album and the literature sources) using the Transcendentalists, Walden, and Song of Myself as jumping off points for the naturalism themes, the ideas of platonic and romantic love, and the desire for a self-reliance vs. the need for nurturing. That's the idea at least for what I'm trying to convey. There's so much to unpack here. I could probably write an essay on this if I really took the time, but I have very limited time at my disposal so 1000-2000 words will probably have to do for now.

 

Literally going back to my annotated copy
of Walden from high school for this review. So that's pretty cool.

 

Can't wait for your write up! The more content on this record the better!

 

Basically all I've done so far is re-read Song of Myself twice while listening to Goodness, so it may not have been the most productive night writing wise, but it was a good night otherwise.

 

This band should also be bigger than they are. The show here the other night had maybe 75 people. Who is an unshitty band that could take them on tour?

 

In case you guys weren't familiar (I was an English Literature major and I wasn't aware until tonight while doing my research for the review) Soft Animal is named after a line from Mary Oliver's poem Wild Geese. I'm not sure if that was ever mentioned in any of the review or interviews about the song, but it's a really beautiful poem so I figured I'd share:

Wild Geese - Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Also here's a soundcloud of Mary Oliver reading it:

and finally an interview which I found pretty interesting in the 10 minutes I listened to and which I will be going back to finish soon:

Mary Oliver — Listening to the World

 

Not sure if this was already posted but I came across an interesting interview that goes into the differences between Christian's vision for Goodness and the end product. Also, goes into a bit of the meaning behind 'Sun'.

[Interview] The Hotelier fight back the flames on monumental new album - GoldFlakePaint

 

There is also a Mary Oliver poem called "Two Kinds of Deliverance" that follows through on a lot of similar ideas as "Wild Geese"