Hotel St. George
Yippee!!!
Unsigned
Web Site
Question: Is it possible for French pop, big beat and thrash to coexist within one band?
Answer: Yes! At least according to Hotel St. George’s MySpace page.
Of course in reality, we all know thrash would swallow (without having to chew, I might add) the other two genres whole. One would willingly and most masochistically surrender, while the other might put up a fight, stalling the inevitable.
So in the end, that really only leaves thrash, which these San Diego rockers most certainly are not. Maybe the casual MySpace user will get the joke, be intrigued and then pleasantly surprised when they discover a well-balanced blend of British-invasion-meets-British-punk. Or, maybe they’ll think, in this exact format, “WTF?” and move on. Ah, the timeless art of self-marketing.
On its debut EP, Yippee!!!, Hotel St. George offer the best a listener can expect from a still-unsigned act: clean production, distinguished vocals and above all, good catchy hooks that will drag you back to the tracks whether you like it or not. (Hopefully, you like it.)
I’ve always found it more difficult to listen to local musicians because all the while I’m thinking, “Would I buy or dig this group if they were signed?” It’s a tough standard, but with all the DIY MySpace groups out there, it’s warranted.
Does this quartet pass the test? The first three out of the five songs—well, six if you count the unlisted acoustic “Beautiful Girl”—are definitely a sign of good things to come. The handclaps on “It’s the Blues,” the hints of ska on “Waiting On a Miracle Ain’t Like Waiting On a Train,” the “yeah yeah yeahs” on the explosive opener … it’s all very familiar, but at the same time, so wonderfully executed that it’d be nice to see what could be accomplished if allotted more studio attention.
It’s obvious after listening to the little recording, these guys know what they’re doing. For the most part, the performance is tight, and they probably deliver a pretty mean live show. Fifteen years ago, they’d have fit nicely on a label like Lookout! Records, but bands like Hotel St. George have more potential now than ever to sign to a major. Yippee for them and us if they do.
