Review
Hotels
On The Casino Floor

On The Casino Floor is the newest album from the Seattle-based band Hotels, this release is a seven-song concept album that tells the story of a secret agent and his attempts to save the world from an evil galactic prince. Overall the album has a more refined sound than “Where Hearts Go Broke” their previous release, gone are the Devo tinged songs, and moody Joy Division tunes replaced here with moody dark atmospheric textures.

The opener “From The West” starts with a tick – tock drum beat and is slowly layered with synth and bass, Blake Madden’s vocals dreamily build and soaring guitar lines are added pushing the song to crescendo. “Lonely Islands” starts slowly and is again built up layer by layer with reverb-tinged vocals, crashing cymbals and synth.

The albums title track “On The Casino Floor” is an epic cut tracking in at over seven minutes of celestial pop, starting with the opening line telling all
"Adventure awaits all those who may enter but beware what’s at the center a pair of snake eyes"
and adding
"Love is a gamble Death’s a sure thing Life is a scam full of jokers dying for kings"

“The Bat Watusi” is a close to a dance song you’ll get here, it boasts a great mix of screeching guitar, driving bass and dreamy synth. This band has no problems blending surf and astral sounds together and they do it with ease lyrically telling the agent how to "meet contact over blackjack, then lay low with Halo, from here on out your solo". This is followed up with a short instrumental “Smith Lands On The Casino Planet” which transitions into “Trouble At The Consulate” a song that sounds as though it is from a soundtrack to an imaginary Phillip K. Dick movie as they prepare to carry out their mission. The final cut “Sleep In Fame” closes the album and story line beautifully with the two former friends, now enemies in a face to face showdown "Hello again my friend, it seems the hour’s getting late here". This record shows that the concept album is alive and works, the release showcases the growth of the band in both their sound as well as their songwriting/storytelling abilities.