The Grand Hotel - Beautiful

The Grand Hotel

Beautiful
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

The Grand Hotel is a solo project that doesn't sound like a solo project. From everything I could gather Patrick Flores literally put together every part of the project. He wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered Beautiful. According to Flores, “The whole project was completed as a fulfillment of my final project as a music industry major but it has grown to be a much bigger project than that.”

​First and foremost Flores can play every instrument really well. For example the guitar and drums both have impressive technical moments. Flores mixes in jazz chords with distortion and the results sound good. The music is general is pretty heavy with a good amount of distortion. It pumps you up and gives you a good amount of energy. That being said there are unexpected deviations throughout the album.

He opens with “The Wired.” At first I was under the impression the song was very lo-fi for a second. It’s a bit of a ruse as the song starts with a high pass filter. All the essential frequencies from the other instruments eventually come in. The song is heavy in a similar way to a band like Paramore. Flores also utilizes unique auto-tune effects on vocals at times which work. 

The high energy continues with “Pull Me Down” It’s a dynamic song with catchy vocal melodies. The title track felt different than what came before. This track showcases his lead guitar skills. I couldn't help but think of Santana. “Anomia” is  really a stretch from what came before. The song is atmospheric, ethereal and contains electronic percussion. It felt pretty separate from the previous material. 

“A Call” get back into rock territory while “Anticipate (Something Bad is About to Happen)” seems to have an uncredited female vocalist. 

Overall, I enjoyed this album but I did feel as if it needed a bit of direction. The vibe of the album was hard to pin down. All things considered the individual songs shine and it is obvious that Flores has talent. I’m looking forward to how he evolves from here.

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