The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel – Slumberland Records
San Francisco-based and occasional drummer for The Reds, Pinks and Purples, Andy Pastalaniec’s side gig Chime School breaks out the jangly power pop and Byrds-like strumming on The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel. This sophomore release comes three years after their self-titled debut in 2021. There is a bright Laurel Canyon energy to the tracks on this record, with mellifluous melodies and cloudlike harmonies filling the space. Think of them as a Californian Teenage Fanclub.
Track 6, “Wandering Song,” hits on those Teenage Fanclub vibes from the start (think Songs from Northern Britain) – the Paisley Underground bands of the mid 80s in California are also a heavy influence here. It is no wonder that the album’s title includes a reference to that scene. The track is just jangly and sentimental. “Give Your Heart Away,” track 3, is an up-tempo bittersweet song with some extra powered strumming. Track 1, “The End,” starts mellow, with dreamy atmospherics. Sounds a bit like an REM tune from the Fables era or Miracle Legion’s Drenched album. “Points of Light,” track 11, reaches back to mid 90s shoegaze. The hazy mood lifts with layers of complexity and sentimentality.
Lots of infectious hooks and earwormy melodies throughout, this is a fun record to play and replay.
Track listing –
1: The End
2: Why Don’t You Come Out Tonight
3: Give Your Heart Away
4: Another Way Home
5: Words You Say
6: Wandering Song
7: Say Hello
8: Desperate Days
9: (I Hate) the Summer Sun
10: Negative Monday
11: Points of Light
Faves: 6**, 3**, 1**, 11**, and 7**.
– (h)earwitness