Album Details

• Artist: The Western States Motel
• Album: The Western States Motel
• Label: Firebird Field Recordings (SelfReleased)
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: green_clash on 2007-06-05

California man... what a weird place. It's filled with baron deserts, the OC, bad Disney rides, fake plastic "trees", and one of the most prominent bands I've heard in a while. The Western States Motel is basically a one man show, Carl Jordan. He wrote and performed all the songs on this self-titled debut album. The songs express the emotions of a man that came from this strange place we know as the thirty-first state of the United States.

So what makes these songs so good?

Carl Jordan's incredible knack for writing good songs, that's what. The songs are essentially simple and catchy numbers reminiscent to The Shins and Elliott Smith, but they hold great depth. The songs have a summery, adventurous, and lively feel about them. As far as instrumentation goes, the drums and bass are usually unnoticeable, laying low in the background. But the guitar playing is phenomenal. Jordan's guitar riffs are memorable and the melodies are very well written. "Southwest Planes" has a fantastic guitar lick, as does the Spanish-inspired "The Restless Sea". And not only is he a regular Johnny Marr at guitar, his voice is exceptional as well. His well-written lyrics whisk over the smooth melodies throughout the record. They‘re very emotional and it‘s heard throughout. A song like "Powerlines" digs itself into your subconscious and doesn't let go for a second. It's the most simple song on the album and one of the most powerful. "Firing Range Days" also hits home with nice placement of bass and drums and a great guitar solo.

The only song that can't compete with the others is "Magic Trick" which isn't a terribly bad song, it just gets a bit too repetitive and it feels unoriginal compared to the rest of the batch. Though this album is not perfect, it is damn near. If you can get your hands on this debut CD, you'll be doing your self a favor. The album closes with the prolific "I Won't Be Going Back to San Diego" which describes a feeling that all of us have. That "need to get away" one that's expressed in those funny airport commercials. Carl Jordan is a cool, down to Earth dude and I think The Western States Motel will become the next big thing in indie rock and roll. Here's hoping...

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2007-06-24 hstisgod Said:

This is definitely good stuff...They will don our 'Indie of the week' blog sooner or later.
Rating: 8/10