Labels: Runner Up Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I reviewed the Park Jefferson demo the other day, it is a good demo. Late on the review I fretted that if they weren’t careful, they would one day sound not so cute and fun, once the recording is cleaned up and they have more focus (as tends to happen to bands). If you want to understand what I meant by that, you can listen to this Hightide Hotel album. This is steadfastly plodding in Algernon Cadwallader’s footsteps, bringing little new to the table. The album has a nice enough start with “I’m Just Sippin’ On Monster, Thinkin’ About Life” (even if that song title is horrendous), all bouncy rhythms stolen carte blanche from Braid, and boys yelping. Here and there the twiddle guitars borrow from a hyper-speed American Football, and the boys all yelp at the same time. ‘Cos they are bros. It’s a nice song. And has a David Attenborough sample. Unfortunately it’s generally sledging downhill without so much as a tree in the way from there. Songs like Childish appear all out of wack with weird timings and over-twiddly guitar. This one sounds like the instruments were all recorded at different times with no-one aware of what anyone else in the band was doing. It seems to be a trend on several songs, where there are splashes of fast guitar which just feel like they have been haphazardly laid over the rhythms. Apparently this was produced by a guy in Algernon Cadwallader, and although I am not their biggest fan, they at least have smart song writing chops when it comes to their style. I am perturbed that he has allowed Hightide Hotel to get away with this, was he asleep at the mixing desk? There are some better moments, “Where’s Walden” is spirited and feisty like early Spy vs Spy. But then there is “Be My Lobster” which has an intro that so openly apes Cap’n Jazz, that I am left with a raised eyebrow. Generally though, the band is sleepwalking through a genre piece on this record. I am sure the effort was put in, but it doesn’t translate I’m afraid. There are also un-necessary revisitings of older songs, which also suggests they were lacking in new material.
This follows on the heels of LPs by scene stalwarts Everyone Everywhere and Monument, and whilst those bands made perfectly accomplished albums, this just sounds like a bunch of well meaning rookies who weren’t ready for a full length. Whilst there are flickers of promise, there are too many mis-steps present to recommend it to anyone but the most dedicated of twiddlemo afficionados.