a r t i s t : VxPxC
t i t l e : Hotel Chelsea Days
d a t e : 2007
l a b e l : Self Released
c a t : n/a
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Psychedelic
r l s. d a t e : Mar/2007
t r a c k s : 15
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 66,4 MB
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Less song-based than the hot, recent (VxPxC)-released CDr
'Strange on Hind Legs', 'Hotel Chelsea Days' resembles the
cool, loose construction of the 'Drapery Dept.' disc from a
few months ago as it restricts itself to a more-or-less
singular theme, visited from many slight angles (15 tracks
refracting what feels like one morning, fixed in one spot as
the light hits from shifting frames). This fixity is enhanced
through a realism of recording rarely experienced in a musical
context such as (VxPxC) presents: the camera of the microphone
has been wheeled-back so as to include the musicians as
producers behind the raw sound, capturing conversations,
squabbles, boredom, and the physical noise of the room in
which the cast of players exist - all the while as the
soundtrack of their art plays out from behind. Though the
effect will at times distract from the music - and it is such
for a fair portion of the disc - even these moments offer an
original vision of performance as an interaction of actors
creating action. In this sense, the music itself becomes an
entity, just one character among several: in three-piece
formation, (core members?) Justin, Grant, and Tim play
guitars, keyboards, laptops, harmonium/ica - as well as a
number of vocal embellishments.
A seething, swelling keyboard line like a Vangelis
encapsulates the opening suite of five tracks to be ended with
the perfectly-candid conversation 'I Thought I Heard a Knock'
(this was recorded in the namesake hotel); likely due to the
limitations of the venue, the bulk of instrumentation comes
from the a palette of synthesizers - swirling, howling,
fizzing û and with few outbursts (these are reserved for
maximal effect). The cameo/interruptions of collective-child
Cat are high-points of the recording (as they were on 'Drapery
Dept.'), at times a random distraction, but more often as
improvisational leader, as on 'Shush' where a
parental-reprimand becomes a rhythmic cue passing through each
instrument until the next vocalization and the next shift.
With most tracks hovering near the 3 minute mark, central
track 'Because They Have Balconies and Kitchens in the Rooms'
tops 11 minutes, moving through several phases again anchored
by a common thematic rhythm enunciated by an organ-affected
coda. The looseness of each track gives the impression of
heavy improvisation with few signs of premeditation, the
titles reflecting this, with the most sporadic pieces
garnering on-the-fly names like 'Number 12 Hanging' and 'First
Thing in the Morning' (the first track, which another listen
reveals to contain some subdued percussion - totally absent in
the remainder of the album). The specifics of track
arrangement are undisclosed, but the impression is that of
chronology, as the black cloud of 'Chelsea's Final Cabbage'
huffs in drones then bursts with a clap as sheets of pulses
rain down between thick drops of piano notes which lead into
the final offering 'Cloven Hoofing the Bill' wherein the damp
and cold are dried in a flash of dry-hot tones and lofty,
bassy notes like stairs out of doors.
All told, at 63 minutes, to break up the longer stretches the
disc could stand some further editing - or perhaps another
stay for some alternate material. But of course, this would
only mar the charm of the thing: a true, unmediated account of
This Moment in (VxPxC) History. Blue-bottom CDr comes with
printed label and full-color insert in an incredible,
machine-sewn Velcro envelope with original art designed and
crafted by one Clare Elsaesser. Limited to 50 copies
Rippers Note: Now all sold out. Really shouldnt have slept on
this, the cd packaging is the most beautiful I
have seen..
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01-First Thing In The Morning [02:01]
02-Welcome Home (If We Had One) [02:33]
03-No Please Stay [07:28]
04-Drifting Through Crowded Markets [04:24]
05-I Thought I Heard A Knock [02:46]
06-Shush [04:33]
07-Darkness Creeps Through The Noonday Hours [03:43]
08-Come On, Everybody [04:46]
09-Because They Have Balconies And Kitchens In The Rooms [11:18]
10-Room 325 [02:27]
11-Burnt Milk [01:01]
12-Number 12 Hanging [02:59]
13-Whirlpooling The Symptoms [02:54]
14-Chelsea's Final Cabbage [06:54]
15-Cloven Hoofing The Bill [04:16]
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64:03 min