Styles of music come in and out of fashion, and while the term “emo” and its supposed, subsequent or current revival has been beaten to death, the clamor that The Hotelier’s new album “Goodness” has met with seems like a further clue that the wonderful whine of New England’s punky strain of rock is back with a vengeance. Goodness is a warm blaze of guitar rock sing-a-longs, uplifting without a hint of saccharine, angry without the distraction of malice. “Soft Animal” is a standout–when Christian Holden shout-screams “Make me feel alive!” I can feel my own heart leap in response. By yearning after a reason to exist, he’s also given us one. What could possibly be more emo(tional) than that?
There’s a certain, cathartic kind of rock ‘n’ roll—anthemic and honest above all else, inspiring fist-pumps and throat lumps in equal measure, impossible to sit still to—that gets me every single time. Massachusetts indie-punks The Hotelier (formerly The Hotel Year) have achieved exactly that with their ambitious third album, Goodness, which lives up to its title in just about every way. The album, much like its cover art, lays bare life as a mixture of beauty and ugliness, joy and agony that is nevertheless unquestionably worth embracing. The propulsive, driving guitars of “Piano Player,” humanized by lead singer Christian Holden’s impassioned howls, are electrifying, the kind of musical kick in the ass that makes one want to get up and go live. “Make me feel alive / Make me believe that all my selves align,” Holden exhorts on “Soft Animal,” giving out exactly what he longs to get. But these life-affirming moments of passion and yearning are counterbalanced by the uncertainty of “Two Deliverances,” the pain and regret of “Settle the Scar”—the struggles that give the triumphs of Goodness so much meaning.
The Fat Angel Sings 