Review Summary: Raw, gritty, and dark, "The Chess Hotel" shows The Elms progressing into classic American rock and roll territory, ridding of some of the lighter Britpop seen on earlier records. "Hotel" is a great rock and roll record, featuring some of Owen Thomas' grea
Afte two LP's on Christian label Sparrow, The Elms left the fading Christian music scene and joined up with record label Universal South for their next outing, "The Chess Hotel." While their first two LP's were no doubt rock records, both had lighter elements of pop not found on this recording. Their debut, "The Big Surprise," featured clear Beatles-esque and Oasis-tinged elements; "Truth, Soul, and Rock and Roll," retained some of the Beatles-y feeling (albeit to a lesser degree) and some Rolling Stones-esque songwriting. "The Chess Hotel" largely departs from the styles of those records. The sound apparent on this recording is gritty, American rock and roll. Owen Thomas described the album as having the quality of sounding like the band jamming in the studio, and that no doubt contributes to "The Chess Hotel's" unique sound.
In-your face riffs dominate the album. "She's Cold" features a boot-stomping riff that captures the driving feel of the record perfectly; "Nothin' to Do With Love" is a guitar and bass heavy jam session, featuring the aformentioned instruments jamming on a single riff simultaneously, propelling the song into overdrive. The album also has its lighter moments; "I Left My Body and Never Came Back" is a light, sweet song featuring some nice vocal melodies; "Bring Me Your Tea" is a brief, acoustic guitar interlude accompanied by Owen Thomas' lyrics about the Midwestern workingman, a recurring element in The Elms' lyrical oeuvre.
Indeed, the lyrics are one area where The Elms excel. The Elms are overrated in general, but Owen Thomas as a songwriter is particularly underrated. His lyrics merge modern sensibilities with the classic lyricism of Bob Dylan (Thomas and Dylan's lyrics share much in common; however, Thomas is no weaker of a songwriter in using Dylan-esque influences). "The Way I Will" is an excellent retort to a lying ex-lover; "Bring Me Your Tea" echoes the laments of workingmen everywhere:
"I don't get no opinion
With four mouths to feed
I'd sell off my future
To get what we need."
And the album's highlight, the penultimate "The Towers and the Trains," chronicles the life of a town and how the years fade the town like the towers and the trains of the town within.
Owen Thomas' lyrics are well supplemented by the excellent interplay amongst the band. "The Towers and the Trains" is a good example; the song's different solo sections exemplify well how the band plays together; the song features the consistently excellent guitar work of lead guitarist Thomas Daughtery, as well as pounding closing drum solo by drummer Christopher Thomas.
Overall, while not matching the excellence of "The Great American Midrange," The Elms' last album, "The Chess Hotel" is a solid, true rock n' roll record; an album that, while accessible, does not resort to the cliches and motifs of modern mainstream music. The Elms are one of America's greatest rock bands, a band that simultaneously harks back to classic rock while also injecting modern elements of Midwestern roots rock into their signature sound.
