blues, death, ghosts, life, love, the sea, set backs, stress, texas (the old school do-it-yrself one, not the new fascist republican big brother mandatory blood tests & secret point system on your drivers license one), vegan food!
the sad sea engulfs you like the ocean during a brutal storm. you can smell the salt water for it almost suffocates you. the distress you feel is real, a sinking ship in the middle of nowhere after being out to sea for days upon endless days mounting into such longing…through dusk laid to rest by the settling fog & drifting across the ocean; a motionless body of crystal & glass frozen. the compass is broken. the sea swallows any wanting. lay down in the sad sea and home is where you will be…purchase from us with paypal or silber records for 12$ usa (plus 2$ more for international orders): silber records.
under sea, over storm, recorded live at j&j's, denton, texas in early 2005, this is early hotel hotel: young impressive noise/drone epic improv featuring the original five member line-up! purchase on itunes or here in euros: mtv3.fi or in usa $: emusic.
our first album, allheroesareforeverbold recorded in a haunted hotel in austin, texas during a bleak winter storm in 2006. purchase from us with paypal for 8$ ppd or also online at these locations: silber records. cdbaby. itunes. musicishere.com. payplay.fm.
PRESS:
THE SAD SEA
“if true, it is indeed a fantastic story. a fantastic voyage, even. ‘the sad sea’ was derived from hotel hotel’s expedition with a sailor/sea captain searching for a ghost ship. i am so high right now. i’m doing an interpretive dance to this.” – kenyon, advance copy.
“this texas band’s latest offering is as grand and sweeping as the state itself...the guitar drones ominous tones, while the violins rise and fall on an foreboding sea. if the ship is sinking it is sinking slowly...hotel hotel have made an exceptionally beautiful record.” – dan cohoon, amplitude phonography.
“‘the sad sea’ se présentant comme une odyssée épique sous le ligne de flottaison. Passées des pièces aquatiques qui bercent au gré du clapotis que n’aurait pas renié Sars Of The Lid, ‘Equator In The Meantime’ est une belle version du morceau de ‘Black Sabbath’, démontrant les aspirations des texans, capables de faire vrombir leurs instruments : une déflagration de guitare s’assoit sur une section rythmique martiale pour ferrailler avec les violons omniprésents. Les compositions instrumentales du groupe jouent à l’élastique, entre de vertigineuses ascensions et l’apaisement des grandes plaines. Une suite sinusoïdale qu’on suivi bien évidemment avant eux GY!BE ou encore Tarentel à ses débuts, mais qui séduit une fois encore, comme sur le très réussi morceau de clôture ‘The Captain Goes Down With The Ship (Drowning)’.” – denis, autresdirections.
“...ethereal and slightly surreal tones ebbing and flowing in and out of the speakers. Beautiful, intricate compositions...(Rating: 5++) out of 6” – babysue/lmnop.
“又是张烟波浩渺的氛围类PR，来自德州的hotel，hotel时而低沉落寞时而飘逸灵动还是很好的诠释了氛围的精髓。空与幽的意境在乐队编排下并不让人难以接近，而催眠般的感觉刚涌来是便被吉他升起声一扫而空。整张作品应该做得属于虚中带实的一类风格，在氛围pr中入耳程度属于不错的，说到底其实也非真正口味，看到TSB的评价不错便找来听听，也分享给友人” – the bright and dark promise.
“‘the captain goes down with the ship (sinking)’ rolls out soundscapes designed to cause mindscrews, plus an extra peripheral element you really don’t want to entertain if you’ve just set foot on your first luxury liner...it’s a stoic and ghastly little number, cold as corpses in pack-ice and perfectly suited to anyone who gave up on the sound of a rescue chopper.” – george bass, cokemachineglow.
“délire musical’s 50 best albums in 2008.” – délire musical radio show, CFLX 95.5 fm.
“the band whooshes and creaks its way thru these 8 songs with guitar/bass/drums and 2 violins. the results are achingly beautiful and more than a bit sad. gorgeous packaging too.” – tim hinely, dagger zine.
“no aural seams or wrinkles here, no loss of traction - like their previous LP, ‘the sad sea’ grows as naturally as a storm cloud from gentle ambience to soul-rending turbulence. ‘the captain goes down’ excels at the latter, bringing the album to a close with guitar-driven drone and a marching beat from the drums, sealing the anonymous captain’s fate with valiance rather than cowardice. ‘the sad sea’ is essential listening for post-rockers and sailors alike. set sail!.” – jacob price, delusions of adequacy.
“far away in another time and place, as space luxuriates and there’s time
for the world to unfold at an unhurried pace. This cool evocative moody
ambience wafts through the lofty branches of the trees as they sway in
an invisble wind. godspeed you! black emperor, explosions in the sky,
meets stars of the lid, with a little spacious krautrock thrown in for
good measure.” – george parsons, dream magazine.
“the song titles and giant-squid cover-art help the album tell a seafaring tale, but the music itself feels broader than that, in mood and emotion. the album title, though, is apt and simply stated: ‘the sad sea’.” – dave heaton, erasing clouds.
“across its 8 tracks, ‘the sad sea’ proves to be a tangibly executed, cinemascope soundscape to an unmade film- its dulcet tones narrating a story of suffering, solitariness, anxiety and deep pensiveness but with a shimmering veneer of hope that prevails throughout. If you are after top-draw ‘real’ post-rock that shuns the immediacy of more commercially minded bands in favour of a brand of subtle progression that has melancholic and morose characteristics deeply intertwined within its rich sonic texture, then ‘the sad sea’ is for you.” – ks, experimusic.
“certainly stands alone as one of the year’s strongest releases, regardless of your stance on the ultimate fate of the world’s most famous ghost ship! fans of godspeed! you black emperor and the late jason diemilio’s asuza plane will also be enthralled by these exciting, emotional, at times, heartwrenching melodies and atmospheres. 9/10.” – jeff penczak, foxy digitalis.
"right throughout the album there are some gorgeous, evocative moments of still, lonely isolation, minimal descending guitar coloured by subtle use of chorus, contemplative piano lines or a single violin note left hanging in the air, it all goes into making this album very listenable. as a label silber records have built a reputation for innovative cross genre releases and ‘the sad sea’ is no exception. it is cinema for the mind and food for the soul.” – roger mills, further noise.
“this is a disc for people that like very tranquil music. Where many bands use tension spans that erupt in loud climaxes, ‘the sad sea’ of hotel hotel takes it much easier. the music flows easy without any song grabbing your explicit attention. With several listening sessions this pool of music becomes somewhat clearer and then there are even songs that seem somewhat heavier than others, especially ‘equator in the meantime (black sabbath)’ and the diptych ‘the captain goes down with the ship’.” – grauenhaft, gothtronic.
“texas-based ensemble hotel hotel have created a near-masterpiece of experimental rock with this album; mixing the classic set-up of drums, guitar and bass with violins and an extensive array of effects pedals, the group has created an opus that stands up alongside the best work of such acts as godspeed you! black emperor, rachel's, and mogwai.” – matthew j., grave concerns ezine.
“‘the shoreline disappeared’ zou ik zelfs het wordt “drijven” in de mond willen nemen. Rustige, soms wat melancholische, mood muziek neer. Muziek om bij in de branding te staan en eeuwigheid te overpeinzen. Ik merk dat het album mij als geheel niet helemaal weet te overtuigen, en mijn aandacht niet altijd vasthoudt. Tegelijkertijd is het er wel en vormt het heerlijke achtergrondmuziek. Voor mensen die niet vies zijn van wat experimenteler geluid en was rustigere en dromerige post-rock kunnen waarderen.” – songsoverruins, ikecht.
“‘the sad sea’ si posiziona stilisticamente a cavallo tra le coordinate di post-rock ed ambient, offrendo uno spaccato sonoro glaciale sospeso tra chitarre spettrali e feedback eterei. I paesaggi nostalgici evocati sono ulteriormente rafforzati dall’utilizzo indovinato dei violini che accompagnano le evoluzioni musicali senza rubare tuttavia la scena” – alessandro bonetti, kronic.it.
“from tip to tail, ‘the sad sea’ is among the most listenable and accessible electronic/ambient music in recent memory...billed as post-rock/ambient—even blues—the band transcends the ordinary from the shuddering open through depths (“equator in the meantime (black sabbath)”) and climaxes (“the dirac sea (high tide)”). with their first full album (one EP, one live LP in their locker), this band should grasp a healthy lot of the latter.” – erick mertz, kevchino.
“imagine the Dirty Three jamming with Bowery Electric on a mixture of vicodin and qualuudes. Imagine being at Terrastock and finally hearing the band you’ve been waiting for 3 days to hear: This is dreamy violin fronted, instrumental, pulsing in waves, echoing in your mind, hypnotic truly beautiful dreamscapes, molded out of the clay that could only be made with the dirt of martian soil mixed with the bones of the faithful who were called to their knees by the tolling of the iron bell. All tracks great, pick any.” – your imaginary friend, kzsu.
“the last two tracks ‘the captain goes down with the ship (sinking)’ and ‘the captain goes down with the ship (drowning) that together create a bleak yet reflective atmosphere, the perfect soundtrack when facing death head on, sealing a tragic fate for our protagonist within the loose narrative that the album generates...hotel hotel have done that old sea dog justice, whether he truly existed or not, by producing a great post rock/ ambient album with a unique and palpable sense of purpose as opposed to rambling self interested orchestrations.” – michael byrne, left hip.
“post rock che mette i brividi, gela l'anima ed il cuore; ma scalda la mente. Sonorità lente e ben studiate, che avvolgono ogni singolo neurone del cervello. Questo è il post rock che avanza con le sue forti leve, questo è il post rock che si vorrebbe sempre ascoltare.” – claudio baroni, libero.it/musica.
“seriously, this thing is gorgeous: a giant gatefold with a letterpressed architeuthis architeuthidae asnd a bunch of nice natural touches. and it's 100% recyclable! these beardos know the score. after all, it can never hurt to associate your haunted-weirdo-violin-driven post-rock with the well-hung, jet-powered, stone cold assassins of the sea.” – misprint.
“without words this album presented me 2008’s most vivid musical story, propelling me on a voyage upon The Sad Sea’s fragile Mary Celeste, first nearly soothing me into naïve complacency with the at once tranquil and foreboding ‘from harbour’ and ‘the dirac sea (low tide)’, but finally destroying my calmness along with the doomed ship, drowning me in waves of droning guitar and crying strings, which seem to be struggling for air as feverously as the ship’s fated captain” – top 20 albums of 2008, new age of heroes.
“Atmospheric drifting with ghostly, meandering guitar yawns and occasional slight percussion. By half way, you’re totally lulled into the graceful, yearning pace of it all, a tentative journey embellished with haunting, beautiful viola that has me welling up inside, feeling the solitude of it all. Then the big music lands, Dramatic drums crash into your consciousness whilst all manner of effects laden guitars tell a story of powerful waves & dangerous hallucinations, an attack by a stealthy Leviathan perhaps? Then all is calm again and we sink back into the sonorous neo-orchestral beauty, sad, evocative, & beautiful. There’s more drama ahead but I’ve got to admit this is one of the freshest & most atmospheric albums of this genre I’ve had the pleasure to check in a long while.” – brian, norman records.
“avec un batteur disparu dans d'étranges conditions en 2007 (il s'est évaporé dans un aéroport sans laisser de traces), une rencontre fortuite avec un drôle de personnage qui les lance sur les traces d'une épave de bateau en mer Caraïbes, les musiciens d'Hotel Hotel ont plus des allures d'aventuriers ou de héros de roman que de musiciens post-rock. C'est pourtant dans cette seconde catégorie qu'il convient de les placer, et s'il est difficile de dégager la réalité de la fiction concernant l'historique de ce The Sad Sea, force est de constater la portée émotionnelle indiscutable de ce disque, évoquant un GodSpeed ou un Stars of The Lid plongé dans un bain d'abstraction, avec comme fil conducteur ce violon digressif, instrument fantôme voguant au gré des ambiances nébuleuses de l'album. Empruntant tour à tour des mers de glace ("The captain goes down with the ship") ou des mers de feu ("Equator in the meantime"), The Sad Sea s'affirme comme une œuvre elliptique, trouble mais irrémédiablement addictive. L'air du grand large sans doute.” – laurent catala, octopus.
“in the album’s softer and subtler moments, the band reveals a beauty in their music, beauty that is nevertheless fraught with unease and disquiet.” – jason morehead, opus zine.
“on opening track ‘from harbour’ they sound like Low re-writing the theme music for Twin Peaks, and from there the album just gets lovelier. and as the ships slowly slips away in closing track ‘the captain goes down with the ship (drowning)’, there’s a sense of gloomy peace that defies cheesiness somehow.” – matthew lawrence, providence daily dose.
“scream the sound's top 50 album’s of 2008!” – scream the sound.
“austin’s hotel hotel return with their third record, ‘the sad sea’, on silber records...with such abundant talent and clear artistic vision, it seems like it's a little easier for them to rise to the front than most...The album's sound is hard to nail down, but haunting seems to be the word that springs to mind. The band creates deep and absorbing atmospheres using a wide array of voices, from swelling synths and squeaking strings, to minimalist guitar drones and static noise. It is something that is very easy to connect to, and you'll find yourself drawn in with very little effort.” – idris hussain, the silent ballet.
“these compositions excellently communicate a sense of detachment and alienation, plunging the listener into the position of an aimless ocean voyage going nowhere.” – matt howarth.sonic curiosity.
“Avant l'écoute. Les titres. Vestibule transitoire. Mary Céleste. Dimanche. Qui, empruntant les couloirs du temps, me renvoient à une époque où, dans la télévision,les images étaient en noir et blanc. C'était un dimanche après-midi. Au début des années soixante-dix. Vers dix sept heures. Dix, quinze ou vingt cinq. Une rediffusion des années 50. La fin.” – so you wind won't blow it all away.
“The album [the sad sea] is however symphonic without once lapsing into pretentiousness, and uses classical instruments whilst leaving its feet remaining firmly rooted in rock, juxtaposing delicate, alluring guitar work and atmospheric cymbal splashes with often quite sinister howls from a violin.” – phil mcmullen, terrascope.
UNDER SEA, OVER STORM
“hotel hotel are from texas...don’t let...the lone star state frighten you...with their unique guitar/violin assault on post-rock (or as label silber puts it--and we agree--whatever it's called this month). the band is offering up a free ep in anticipation of the fall full-length, ‘the sad sea’. The 40 minute live performance of ‘under sea, over storm’ was captured in october 2005 but is seeing the light of day for the first time...it will be a triumph for the great state of texas.” – electronic voice phenomeon.
“Wat brengt dit kwartet ons? We horen is experimentele post-rock, met
twee violen in plaats van een bas. Met noise-invloeden en flink wat
drones. Hierbij klinkt het alsof er ook flink op los geexperimenteerd
wordt bij een live-optreden. Het geheel levert een erg vol geluid op,
dat soms iets te veel een kluwen wordt.
Maar wat we ook door de kluwen heen horen is de grote invloed van
Godspeed You Black Emperor en het feit dat ze dat geluid wel degelijk
proberen te vernieuwen...Als dit de opwarmer is en het "oude" hotel hotel, ben ik erg
benieuwd wat er van komt als ze de studio induiken en zelf al
doorgegroeid zijn...Een aanrader, helemaal voor die prijs (helemaal gratis), zeer de
moeite waard. Doch luistert u hieronder toch zelf, alvorens u het werkje
download.” – Jaap Kamminga, IkEcht.
ALLHEROESAREFOREVERBOLD
“what an impressive release…this is beautiful music played with passion.” – aural innovations.
“this is the essence of possession. hotel hotel travel miles from texas with a beatific look of horror on their faces for they were there when the meteor hit the church, the living offspring of an angel and a devil lodged in the brain causing microblink switches between blinding white light and suffocating black antimatter. using instruments to communicate the realisation of simultaneous on and off. string theory strung along strummed the guitar and turned it on. cataclysm.” – the 13th note.
“hotel hotel is a large ensemble producing atmospheric fare heavy on the violins, wavering between pastoral and apocalyptic…sort of like godspeed you black emperor in a good mood.” – michael chamy, dallas observer.
“‘allheroesareforeverbold’, the aggravatingly titled album from texan trio hotel hotel…what it represents – or, perhaps, is meant to accompany – is a myriad of feelings bound only by humanity’s transitory lifespan. the album is a moody conglomerate of emotions embodied by lurid drones and pensive stillness, swirls of sonic texture and eerie atmospherics, and entrancing, disorienting repetition interrupted by robust, vibrant crescendos…once it has arrested your attention, expect to sit glass eyed and satisfied for its duration.” – jacob price, delusions of adequacy.
hotel hotel ‘allheroesareforeverbold’ (lo-bango)
large-ensemble, sweeping instrumental imaginary film-score music is nothing new, but it still sounds nice when it's done well. texans hotel hotel aren't breaking ground here, but they put visceral energy into their playing. recorded in one take, the music matches the track titles for mood. those titles match the seven stages of grieving. the harsher ones are especially explosive, full of feeling and noise: "shock", "anger", "depression". even the most peaceful or mournful stages have an ominous aura, which i like. - dave heaton, erasing clouds.
neosurrealist top 20 underrated albums of 2006 – neosurrealist.
“their debut album, ‘allheroesareforeverbold’…the sound that the band has created here is interesting and distinctive…the changes are seamless and organic...the songs range in emotion from haunting to serene and do a good job of hypnotizing the listener long enough to reveal something new. ‘allheroes…’ is a very solid debut for a band that i’m sure you will be hearing more about in the future.” – optasia.
“if the spanish inquisition needed a theme song, would they choose track number seven from ‘allheroesareforeverbold’? or would they burn this cd during an auto de fe ceremony? is there a class on how to compose drones? if so, then the members of hotel hotel should be guest lecturers” – phillip e. hardy, sound the sirens.
“somewhere between the creaky stairs and the empty west texas saloon, the whispers of the departed ghost-town heroes meld with the distant sound of horsehair bow scraping nylon strings. this is where hotel hotel was born. in life you’re as likely to find them in glasgow or brighton as well as their home of austin, texas. the core of chaos, misco, and caverninha produces evocative, harrowing, and elegant fare such as that on the new emotional odyssey/loose concept album “allheroesareforeverbold” in person, the troupe often expands in mind, body, scope, and volume.” – strategies of beauty.
“hotel hotel…playing quiet waves of noise that are light on form and heavy sleepy wandering…keeping many of your eyes glued to the stage…their live performances can be quite memorable.” – we shot j.r.
“the minute i heard that music i knew it was like my bike lock job; tight!” – landon.
“ja! das hotel hotel ist sehr melodramatic!” – numerous germans.
“it’s very european...and very rational.” – various brasilians.
ya know, when i stumble upon a band of your caliber with 30,000 profile views, its kinda bittersweet. it shows me that the music scene today is getting really good, but i breaks my heart b/c you guys should be touring with radiohead or something. i love your music. come to arkansas and play a show with us, it'd be an honor
