{"id":5177,"date":"2016-06-29T11:12:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-29T11:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-hotel-books-run-wild-stay-alive\/"},"modified":"2016-06-29T11:12:33","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T11:12:33","slug":"album-review-hotel-books-run-wild-stay-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-hotel-books-run-wild-stay-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Hotel Books \u00a0-Run Wild, Stay Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
\"image\"<\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a lot to be said for just how rare it is that a band truly nails the spoken word sound. The balance between music and poetry is much more difficult than it might seem to pull off, and seeing bands falter in their attempts at it is unfortunately common when you consider just how good it sounds when done right. Recently the likes of La Dispute and NowHere have done fantastic jobs within the genre, but it\u2019s California-based Hotel Books<\/b> who have taken the spotlight once again.<\/p>\n

Having been building a reputation however for delivering a very strong offering on previous album \u2018Everything We Could Have Done Differently\u2019<\/i>, followed up with \u2018Run Wild, Young Beauty\u2019<\/i> not long after. \u2018Run Wild, Stay Alive\u2019<\/i> is the latest release, and while previous efforts have seen mixed success in Hotel Books<\/b>\u2019 attempts at finding the balance between Cam Smith\u2019s spoken word and his instrumental backing, this month\u2019s LP may be their finest work yet. <\/p>\n

From the opening lines of \u2018Every Day, The Same\u2019<\/i>, you can tell that the record is starting on a strong note, and when Smith really lets loose it makes for a really engrossing introductory track. For any who join Hotel Books<\/b> for the first time on \u2018Run Wild, Stay Alive\u2019<\/i> it\u2019s certainly the right foot to get off on. Smith\u2019s vocals mesh with his backing better at some times than others, and arguably his delivery on \u2018I Think You See Where This Is Headed\u2019<\/i> isn\u2019t quite as powerful as the lyrics themselves. The album\u2019s momentum is immediately recovered however with the impressive \u2018Where We Sleep Is Where We Dream\u2019<\/i>, an almost unexpectedly anthemic effort for a largely spoken word record.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to keep opinions concise as the album goes on because there really is so much to say about every track, but from \u2018Constant Conflicts\u2019<\/i> through to \u2018Friendly Crossfire\u2019<\/i> Hotel Books<\/b> really are firing on all cylinders. It\u2019s so well paced and each crescendo is paced perfectly to ensure the words and themes are met precisely by the atmosphere of each track.<\/p>\n

\u2019Alcoholocaust\u2019<\/i> and \u2018Broke Love\u2019<\/i> make for quite the indomitable one-two to send out Hotel Books<\/b>\u2019 fourth full-length record to date. So far, there\u2019s been two records this year that have enjoyed near constant attention from me since their release. First is Dream Theater\u2019s hyper-ambitious epic of \u2018The Astonishing\u2019<\/i>, recently joined by Letlive\u2019s masterpiece \u2018If I\u2019m The Devil\u2019. With this, Hotel Books<\/b> may have turned that pairing into a trifecta of outstanding 2016 releases. With half of the year left to go, There could well be more to come, but right now there are few names matching what Hotel Books<\/b> have pulled off here.<\/p>\n

4.5\/5<\/p>\n

\u2019Run Wild, Stay Alive\u2019<\/i> by Hotel Books<\/b> is out now on InVogue Records.<\/b><\/p>\n

Hotel Books<\/b> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Antony Lusmore (@ VilinskiKonjic <\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot to be said for just how rare it is that a band truly nails the spoken word sound. The balance between music and poetry is much more difficult than it might seem to pull off, and seeing bands falter in their attempts at it is unfortunately common when you consider just how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[177,3372,3371],"class_list":["post-5177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-hotel-books","tag-invogue-records","tag-run-wild-stay-alive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review: Hotel Books \u00a0-Run Wild, Stay Alive - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s a lot to be said for just how rare it is that a band truly nails the spoken word sound. 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