Hot Sheets Saint Motel
The four members of Saint Motel met in film school and formed a… sorta modern day rock band with Brian Wilsony harmonies and quirky rock as if they learnt about music from Roxy Music Music’s greatest hits while shooting pool at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood. The only way they could be more LA is if they were diverting water from the reservoirs during a drought
Luckily Saint Motel live up to that billing and, hey, stick in Polanski and Tarantino while you’re discussing influences. The “Pity Party” with its pretty strummed bridge and steady unswirving back beat is a smart look at a distubed girl but the video is something else entirely. A playacted, playful, what the hell is this featuring the band members alternately playing their instruments and shooting at each other.
All the songs on their recent 5 song EP ForPlay are excellent and when added with the videos something else as well. On “Eat Your Heart” the landscape sings to them and the effect is both silly and strange but the song is more important, a brief jam in the middle pulls it a rock climate but they pull out fast and go back to haunted melody and brushstrokes: an electronic naturalism.
Then you watch the video for “Dear Dictator” and the visuals take precedents again. At the start of the video a young boy without a visible cut in the filming becomes lead singer A/J Jackson till by the end of the video Jackson has become a surrogate King Lear with girls in leather bikinis and stomping boots. The song is pretty damn good as well, all overemotional hijinx and tight avant-pop. Saint Motel sound like (yeah, I know I toldja what they sound like BUT THIS IS A DIFFERENT SONG) Franz Ferdinand meet a Native American war party. Let’s just say the whole lot owe Bowie royalties and leave it like that.
I hear Saint Motel’s live perfermonace is even better -very theatrical but you can find out yourself. They are playing as part of the CMJ presents. Here’s the info.
Tuesday, October 20 – 11:00 PM
CMJ Showcase
Kenny’s Castaways
157 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10012
21+ No Cover
Thursday, October 22 – 9:00 PM
Purevolume/BMI Present
PureVolume House
169 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
21+ No Cover
