Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel’s newest album, ‘Nico & Her Psychedelic Subconscious’ (2013), has a sound that definitely lives up to its name, and will not disappoint if you are looking for that vintage psychedelic rock sound.
With heavy organs, electric keyboards, and melodic synthesisers, the album takes you on a sonic journey that many bands cannot in todays mainstream market. Reminiscent of the great Ray Manzarek of the Doors, keyboardist and vocalist Tomas Dolas knows his craft well and seems to carry the melody of each song with his gritty vintage keyboards, synth sounds, and vocal lines. Accompanied by blues riff style baselines, and driving, yet not too overpowering, drums the band takes you on a psychedelic trip of tempo changes and melodic themes.
Some may ask why can’t I hear the guitar? The answer is: if it doesn’t need it, don’t add it. And that is exactly how the band feels considering they have tried guitarists but haven’t been able to fit it in with their sound. I don’t believe that this album is missing anything from it anyway.
Although similar to the Doors and the sound of that era Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel are definitely not a copycat style band and also have similarities in sound to more recent indie acts like Quasi and Broadcast (mostly because of the organs and Korg MS-10 synth sounds). The vocals give the album a great vintage feel with the use of an old style plate reverb that really helps to meld them into the mix but with perfect clarity.
The lyrics are emotional and mysterious and do not give too much away, perhaps leaving you to question what the singer is feeling and hoping to portray.
The album flows very well, and transitions smoothly between each track while maintaining a continuity in its style and sound. The opening song on the album, ‘Nico’ really gives you a feel for what you are in for, and the other songs that follow such as, ‘Mermaid Song’ and ‘Sunshine Starlight’ top it all off with great catchy melodic lines and a good feeling that this was not a waste of your hard-earned money. Other songs seem to have a circus or carnival theme such as, ‘Velvet Night’ and, ‘Infinity’, keeping every track different but still giving the album a good flow track to track. Nico & Her Psychedelic Subconscious was written, recorded, and produced by Tomas Dolas and Wyatt Blair (drummer/vocalist) at Lolipop Studios, and re-pressed by Burger Records. You can find info, songs, and the latest about Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel on various music related sites such as Facebook, Bandcamp, Twitter, Youtube, and SongKick.
[youtube https://youtu.be/HPzaP-8sg6c]
