My Hotel Year - The Curse

I remember the first chance I got to witness My Hotel Year live. They were playing a club in Dallas, and I had taken one of my many cross-country adventures to get there. I had heard much about them, and what I had heard was enough to purchase a $96.00 Greyhound tickets, ride six and a half stuffy hours to downtown Dallas, get ripped off by a crooked taxi driver (again) and walk to the Gypsy Tea Room. I wasn’t a full-fledged fan yet, but it was one hell of a show, so I bought a compact disc, the 2001 release The Composition of Ending and Phrasing. Since then, there have been some changes (with the addition of new drummer Patrick O’Neal) and seemingly with the music. When I first listened to The Curse, I was torn. This is MHY’s sophomore effort, and I love to compare and contrast. It’s hard to not compare and contrast this album to Composition. Composition was a rockier album, whereas Curse is mostly mass density and weaker. My diagnosis makes me feel they are trying to come into themselves, what with the new drummer and all, but then I ask myself: Did the additive lead to a less-than-tasty sound? MHY: these guys have spunk and a good punk quality about them, but the new album found my interest waning some. Do not fret, my friends. There are shiny gems a-littering this album. Let’s talk about them now! The album commences a bit sluggish, but track four, “Not Bad (for ninja),” is a breath of fresh air and a cool-as-sin song title. The title track, “The Curse,” is also a real stand-out piece of work and sings “You’re moving too fast/Through the time of your life.” “If Seventeen Seconds Could"--or as I like to call it, the “Whoa-oh Song”--caught my attention from the start, beginning with soft vocals and then a blow to the face. The most listen-worthy tunes, and the reason I suggest this album, are the demos “Vinegar” and “Bad Radio.” Personally, I wasn’t kicking my heels up over this album and felt MHY could have done better. I am suggesting it because it gave me valuable pickings throughout. I would suggest the new listener to experiment with MHY, starting with Composition. I find that you enjoy an artist’s album more when you hear those songs played live, which is exactly what happened to my first go-around with MHY. I suggest you check out their previous work and/or live show before you buy this particular album. [www.myhotelyear.com]