Review Summary: Passing Through the Throes
Emo is one of the most raw genres of music out there, and although it can be rather trite, when it's done correctly, it's very powerful. This isn't to say that the genre doesn't have it's share of innovators (not just within the confines of the genre, but all of music), like the Kinsella brothers, but that the majority of Emo bands follow in the footsteps of bands such as Cap'n Jazz, American Football, and Mineral. There are only a handful of bands in the so called "emo revival" (not like it's ever really been gone...) that have done more than just bring back an old sound, but actually push the genre forward. The Hotelier are one of those few.
Right from the start you know you are going to experience something special, as "An Introduction to the Album" leads the record off perfectly. It showcases the bands' strong grip on tension and release, and more importantly, Christian Holden's talent as both a lyricist and vocalist. However, this would mean nothing if the rest of the band wasn't so great at forming a song around them, finding a way to push the songwriting further with the albums variety in tone, good pacing, and aforementioned tension and release dynamic. When Holden wants you to hear something he has to say, you hear it. His lines and delivery stick with you, even after he spins 288 words in just the opening track. He's poetic, he's passionate, and most importantly, he is giving all of himself into his writing. When you hear these songs, you know that he means it.
With subsequent listens, Holden's lines (the ones he really wanted to stick with you) started to connect with each other in my head, and I started to notice a potential theme. I read into all of the lyrics and tried to piece everything together, coming to a potential conclusion that the record revolves around the suicide of a close friend/lover and the emotions that come with that. The guilt, seemingly endless grief, confusion, doubt, and more than anything else, the curse of hindsight and "what ifs." However, this is my interpretation, and I ask you read into the songwriting as I did and connect with it in your own way. No matter how you take it, the lyrics are some of the most well-written I've seen in years. The cohesion between the songs, flowing seamlessly together and connecting through a common theme, only adds more to the impact. The vocals only seal the deal, making "Home, Like Noplace is There" one of the emotionally affecting albums I know. And up until the very last moments, the Hotelier carry that burden of loss and regret with them in "Dendron." The final words are heavy, but as the song comes crashing back down after the final verse, you feel as if a weight has finally been lifted.
"Part of your charm
was the way you would push me from
all of the traps that I just couldn't see
Figures the one that was there to have tripped you up,
would be the one that was set there by me.
Wish I was there to say goodbye when you went away
Wish I was home, but noplace was there.
I cut off my arm at the bone in solidarity,
Capital teaches that there’s less when you share.
And I felt the noose tighten up on your collar bone.
I felt the gun in the small of your back.
Engraved in the stone
by request and recurse of friends dead is
'Tell me again that it’s all in my head.'"