The Hotelier - Goodness (May 27, 2016) Album • Page 312

giving INGO a listen now. first song is fun, which I am p sure I have always felt as much, but it’s pretty far removed from what I’m interested in musically at this point. very much a tried and true pop-punk jam. lyrics seem to be decent, not honing in on em too much, tho they’re maybe a bit wordier than I care for.

always liked Vacancy and that hasn’t changed.

Lonely Hearts opens super strong, great lead guitar, but I really do not care for the other vocalist at all. feels way too stereotypical pop-punk for me. that said, the song is good if I ignore that. when Christian comes in it elevates things for me tenfold.

not much to say about Nite Ratz. song has always been my favorite from the record and the only one I revisit with any frequency. strong melodies, strong lyrics, just all around well done.

Weathered… okay somehow this one never stood out to me before, but this is also very good.

I’m Gone, we’re back to standard pop-punk fare here imo it’s fine but nothing special. again, not into this other vocalist (Chris, right?). the bridge starting around 1:50 in this is a really cool switch. kinda hate the rhythm guitar tone here.

Holiday is too brief for me to have terribly much to say about it. it’s kinda fun and has good melodies even if, again, I feel like this sound is pretty far in the rear view for me.

the intro to Still-Water Spectacle is sick, one of my fav moments on the whole record. love when the drums break into the faster beat for the verse but wish the performance was tighter. the break @ 1:00 straight up reminded me of DGD, which is a totally unexpected and fantastic thing to me. AND THE SCREAMING. this fucking rules. can’t believe this one never stood out to me.

Title Track is also quite good, strong closer. the clean guitar tones here are probably the best they sound on the whole album. want to listen again with lyrics in tow.

so overall, this was probably the best listen I’ve had of the record and I def think I’ve been tougher on it than it deserves. that said, I don’t think it comes anywhere near the strength of what follows it. I will say there’s something going on with the production and mixing that I really dislike. particularly the drums and bass (getting the feeling the drums are either heavily sampled or were played on an electronic kit). it also feels p clear this was performed by people who weren’t yet as consummate at their instruments or at locking in with their band mates. there are some moments where there’s just a bit more push and pull in the timing than I would like (mostly the drums). none of their records have anywhere near perfect production/mixing imo, but this one pretty clearly sounds the worst to me.

 

I gotta give the other 2 records another chance but at this point I feel like I’m more of a HLNPIT fan than I am a Hotelier fan

 

Love to hear the different takes in this thread! For me, Goodness is one of the best records of the 2010s, like top 5. The other two are great, and HLNPIT meant so much to me when it came out, but at this point it's no contest.

 

I can agree with that. Though I like all three, with Goodness at the top.

 

When goodness came out (and for a year or two after that) I was of a similar mindset. Goodness has really taken hold of me lately and slowly revealed its brilliance.

I know for a lot of people in the thread, it was a more immediate connection, but give it time.

 

I would say if anything I started out loving Goodness more than I do now and I’ve cooled on it a bit with time

 

Hot take they’re all great

 

I like INGO, but it just doesn’t seem nearly on the level as their other two and I don’t feel like listening to it very often at all. Maybe if I had heard it before I heard their other albums I would like it more than I do.

 

Home is the one I don’t go back to as much.

 

I have not revisited Home in a while. I never really got into It Never Goes Out. Goodness is definitely the top for me.

 

Are we gettin new music ever

 

No

 

Here’s a question: I remember everyone complaining about the vocal levels when they were first releasing Goodness singles and one of the engineers or producers commented in here saying “that’s how christian wanted it.”

So was the vocal level increase in Introduction to an Album’s 3rd verse (“I searched for a way out”) intentional? I’ve always thought it sounded so out of place. Sticks out to me every listen.

 

I’ve never noticed this before! Worried you’ve just ruined the song for me… ;)

 

It’s 100% intentional to my ears and works in the song

 

The levels/production on the instruments changes in that passage too. I think it's, if not exactly intentional, necessary for the build that comes right after but I'm no production/engineering expert.

 

Real recognize real

 

I remember hearing about The Hotel Year, but didn’t consciously listen to them until Scope came on one time on Spotify radio. Immediately was floored and started to play through Home. I’m not sure there will be another emo album that knocks me on my ass like that. Those first 5 tracks were just insane. As is the rest, but I’ll never forget my first play through.

 

I just posted a one take full album cover of Home, Like Noplace Is There if anyone is interested! So stoked for their December show

 

Godddd I can’t believe I’m seeing them next week lol

 

I'm really excited to hear about the show!

 

I hate my fucking job that I can’t go to this

 

It is starting to feel pretty reckless to go to this show what with Christmas being the following weekend and the surge in cases. I really kind of hope this gets postponed. (Not like it will.)

 

Unfortunately, after much thought and discussion, my girlfriend and I have decided that it’s unwise to attend a show right now, especially since we’re attending a small family gathering this weekend. I hate that this show is still happening, and it kills us to know that this might be the last chance to see The Hotelier, but for us it’s impossible to look at what’s going on and justify that going would be a good choice.

So…all that said, does anyone want two free tickets? (For tomorrow.)