Formed by New Orleans brothers Ryan and Eric Rogers, Empress Hotel are now a band with members right across the US. They're giving away the splendid powerpop of 'Holly' which is taken from the album 'Heavy Halo.
Catch up time in the month of October. Stream and grab yourself a few free tracks below courtesy of bands, labels and PR folk and the backlog of Sirens of Decay. All of these tracks are chosen at random, usually from the last couple days of my inbox. Some of them are genres that aren't particularly my preference, some of em I just didn't have time to dive into. At least 95% of these tracks I post in Shorthanded Goals I have not heard so if you like 'em let me know. If you don't, well...they [...]
Heavy Halo is a sweet listen, even if you're not always sure what the point of that sweet sound is by the end. This New Orleans outfit delivers off-kilter, intricate dance-pop on their new full length, Heavy Halo. As the title implies, there's a lightness -- or a brightness -- to these songs, but it comes through in thick, weighty layers of sound, from the plinking guitars and heady keys of "Mach Bach" to the ringing hooks and vocal harmonies of "Baby Octopus". These songs may remind you of the electro-rock high-flying of MGMT, but it's got all...
For their first full-length disc, New Orleans indie-dance ensemble Empress Hotel cite their influences as " late night listens to the likes of Prince, ELO, and Roxy Music ". While I can't hear any of these aforementioned bands in Empress Hotel's music, the band has also cited Sparks and one-hit wonders from the 70's (Ace and The Dwight Twilley Band) as an influence and that seems a bit more on point. Paste Magazine called the band's music "infectious pop" and included them last year in their list of "20 SXSW Bands You May Not Know (but should)". [...]
Empress Hotel is a pop ensemble based in New Orleans whose sound is inspired by both one hit wonders of the '70s and legends such as Prince, Sparks, and Roxy Music. The band has a unique slant on their own pop songs though, with stream of consciousness lyrics, dynamic vocal melodies and layered harmonies. Their sound salutes the glory days of rock n roll, and truly lives on stage with an audience right there with them.
Personally, I think a good pop tune supersedes all allegiance to hipsterdom and elements of cool. And in that spirit, I've fallen for this new track from Empress Hotel . The New Orleans-based group will be releasing their Heavy Halo album via Park the Van Records on September 11th. On their latest single, they're just getting into a nice solid groove, allowing the natural hook within the song to make its way into your ears. You get the feeling that these dudes were [...]
Jonathan Parish + Matt Glynn + Julie Odell + Rick Nelson (and friends) performing at Carrollton Station on January 5, 2012 for the Plus One Singer/Songwriter Showcase Tweet
12.15: False + Heartless + Full of Hell + Thou + Solid Giant - Mudlark Theater 12.16: Vapo-Rats + The Lollies + The Riffs + Big Fat & Delicious - Banks Street Bar 12.17: Giant Cloud + Empress Hotel + The Hawks (of Holy Rosary) - One Eyed Jacks When Giant Cloud disbanded early this summer, a fitting end to the mystic narrative of the rise and fall of [...]
In music circles, "hiatus" can be a really nasty term. More informative than the realization that a local band hasn't played a gig in while but somehow also more discomforting that a formal breakup announcement, hiatuses would represent an awful purgatory if they didn't usually imply much worse. Those of the "unofficial" kind often become official, while the "indefinite" ones usually stay that way. So when Lovey Dovies lead guitarist and singer/songwriter James Hayes nonchalantly announced at the Howlin' Wolf Den in March that the band planned to take "a few months off" after their spring sweep through the Midwest [...]
He's My Brother She's My Sister + Empress Hotel performing at Tipitina's on December 1, 2011 for the WTUL Holiday Party Tweet
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 And then there was a third day. Remember that the 50 tracks you'll find this week are all from a pool of nearly 500 tunes I shared throughout 2011. Enjoy. - 30 through 21 - 30) : First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar : To be honest, this track came out of nowhere for me. I had heard of the band and knew they were supposed to be [...]
It's so cool that volumes one and two of the Best Songs of 2011 mixtape series have been such a huge hit - literally tens of thousands of page views in just a few weeks. Today's mixtape marks the third volume of the top 2011 songs series. If you didn't have a chance yet, it's [...] Read more, get songs or stream the entire mix on Indie Rock Cafe
From the end of 2008 until just a few months ago, many arguments about the best band in New Orleans' burgeoning indie rock movement came to one surprisingly consistent conclusion, surprising only given how nebulous and pedantic any such discussion tends to be. With their baroque space rock - equal parts majestic instrumentation, soaring vocal harmonies, and nimble tempo shifts - Giant Cloud was the most dependably impressive group of musicians the city had to offer. But just as they were primed to release the highly-anticipated Bloom & Decay, their full-length follow up to 20102s [...]
Empress Hotel - Bells Ring Pop revivalist New Orleans quintet Empress Hotel crafted this wonderfully cheery, fun, effervescent song "Bells Ring," which appears on their Empress Hotel EP (out in March). This is the first I heard it, and I was pleased to hear they are working on their debut full-length, the followup to said EP, which was released on Park the Van (Generationals, Dr. Dog). The sound is a shimmering, keyboard laced pop infusion with sunny vocals that will brighten your day. The band is also beginning a tour with Van Hunt, and they [...]
Generationals + Giant Cloud + Empress Hotel performing at Tipitina's on June 25, 2011
Whew what a hot week. At least the coming one will supposedly be milder. With the heat came busyness and craziness and of course a few drops of stress. Perhaps the milder temps will produce... [go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
After many random clicks and unnecessary open tabs later, I stumbled across this gem of a tune yesterday afternoon by young New Orleans outfit Empress Hotel . I've never been to the Big Easy and am looking to change that soon, until then I can take solace in the open container mixture of refreshing indie pop on the rocks. [MP3] Empress Hotel - Mach Bach The last funky fun band from New Orleans I got into, Givers , are all about upbeat contagiousness and [...]
Felix + LUCKyLOU + Empress Hotel + The Microshards performing at the Saint on May 25, 2011
Illustration by Johnnie Cluney Empress Hotel EP by Empress Hotel Calling the musically rich city of New Orleans home can be a blessing or a curse. You can either try to expand on what has been born and bred there for decades, or you can go a different route. In Empress Hotel’s (@empress_hotel) case, they seem to prefer the latter. Their recently released self-titled EP, via Park the Van Records , [...]
Cut/Copy is performing at Republic on April 23, 2011 04.21: Lake + Agesandages - Allways Lounge 04.22: Titus Andronicus + Empress Hotel + Felix - Hi-Ho Lounge 04.23: Cut Copy + Holy Ghost! - Republic Cut Copy has come a long way since founder Dan Whitford began producing the synthy, post-disco dance tunes that would appear on 20042s Bright Like Neon Love . It's no [...]
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