Rating: ***1/2
The story behind Ghost X Gardens "Heartbreak Hotel Chelsea" is pretty interesting. Singer-songwriter Adam Rushfield lived in the historic hotel at what ended up being the worst time possible, being booted shortly after moving in by the majority shareholders. The new regime wreaked havoc on the bohemian artists that took residency there. Bummer. But the good news is he got an album-worth of material out of it!
So let's sit back and relax and listen to a love letter to Rushfields former and short-lived residence.
Listen to "Hittin The Bricks" on Soundcloud here:
The first track "Hittin' the Bricks" is pretty self-explanatory from a lyrical standpoint. It's all about the end of his residency at the hotel. It's a solid rock and roll track and I enjoyed everything including the spoken word and acapella at the end of it. "Louisiana Liar" I'm not as fond of. It's not awful but it's a little slow and depressing but not in a good way. "The Ghost Song" sounds like the theme to a smoked out saloon. Lyrically clever, this one works where track two doesn't. I'm into it. "Thing That Drink Was Meant For Me" starts with a rap and I gotta be honest, it threw me off. It's dark and different and I give it bonus points for originality. Title track "Heartbreak Hotel Chelsea" is next and it sounds kinda like a show tune. Actually a lot of these do. The narrative is very literal but it works. "Stanley Was the Patron Saint" and "Room is a Tomb" are both solid filler tracks that move the story along without being throwaways with the latter being the first venture into what I'd describe as a proper ballad. "Concealed Little Weapon" has an almost Alice in Chains vibe to it. A grung-y rocker that is a nice change of pace. "Love Songs So High" is melodic and pleasant. Lyrically it's funny without being corny. "Anymore It's Not the Same" is another rocker but it lacks the originality of some of the others. "Storme Sings The End / Storme's Still Here" is an epic tune that sounds like it should be where the album ends but it isn't there's still one more. "Picture in a Frame" is the closer and it's a really great and sad ballad. A perfect ending to a really solid record.
It's not perfect and it has plenty of dips in spots but that said it's really solid and it's bright moments far outweigh the dark ones. If you're into rock and roll with a broadway feel, you're gonna really dig this. Pick it up!