Pleasantries in the Parlor Reviews



Time Out New York

Motel Creeps' EP, Pleasantries in the Parlor, is rich with dreamy, fuzzy, melodies
and Britpop-informed vocals.

The Jersey Beat #77

Lazily drifting through your speakers in a dense, heavy, dreamy atmospheric haze of low-key introspection and thickly layered wall of sound moodiness, this hauntingly morose four song pop-rock EP CD sticks in your memory like ivy clinging to an old decaying building. The deep, down-in-the-dumps gloomy vocals and sadly reflective lyrics cast a mesmerizingly melancholy spell. The cutting guitars, trudging drum beats and chunky bass lines deftly create an impressively huge, sprawling, yet tightly controlled and always arrestingly brooding sound. A most promising debut effort.

Big Takeover

[http://www.bigtakeover.com] Issue #56

Fuzzy, melodic, and spacious, The Motel Creeps fill out the room with sound that calls on a deep and moving British tinge and an orchestral stretch. Big sounds crest and crash against soaring guitars and swooning vocals; the noise is placed between the notes with a shoegaze drive, and the vocals are between Julian Cope energy and Ian McCulloch smoothness. This is only four songs, but that's enough to let you know that when the LP hits, you'll be there waiting for it. The guitars hypnotize.. at times with a Chris Whitley spaced out vibration, while the voice trans- forms into something closer to Jim Morrison fronting a Britpop band-and that's some- thing I'd like to see.

Mike Doktorski, 4/05 | New Brunswick Underground

In case you were left wondering what the hell ever happened to the great New Brunswick band Bunt…look no further. Well okay, I guess you'd have to look further for all of them. While frontman Chris Martine pursues a doctorate at UConn and guitarist Mike Iurato runs mastering house Jigsaw Sound, we find bassman John Vitelli still in the game, now holding down the low end for moody NYC rockers Motel Creeps. With a knowing wink and a loving nod to the Smiths, Stone Roses, Psychedelic Furs, Blur, and other odds and sods of the halcyon era of British alternapop, Motel Creeps' four song debut EP Pleasantries In The Parlor recalls (not unpleasantly) the signature sound of those aforementioned legends of an Anglophalic yesteryear. The EP (recorded by ace producer Wayne Dorell at Hoboken's Pigeon Club) ably reconciles singer Greg Welch's cockneyed baritone with guitarist Eric Butler's echo-drenched atmospherics, while Vitelli and drummer Jim Connolly keep the rhythms chugging nicely along. I suppose the worst you could say here is that Motel Creeps' sound harkens a bit too closely to their influences, i.e. didn't Echo & The Bunnymen have a song called 'Ocean Storm'…or was it 'Ocean Rain'? It's been awhile. But on the other hand, if you (like me) miss Matt Pinfield spinning all da kool toonz Friday nites at the Melody Bar, then put on some Motel Creeps, light a candle, close your eyes, and breathe deep.

AM New York

Anthemic guitars and smooth vocals are the name of the game for Motel Creeps. This local quartet with a predilection for 1980s Brit pop recently released their EP "Pleasantries in the Parlor."

The Boston Globe (Critics' Pick for Date: 2/06/2005)

Motel Creeps - at Great Scott on Thursday. Their name is a bit of a groaner, but the bands new CD, "Pleasantries in the Parlor," has earned a buzz for dream pop that has been likend to that of Echo & The Bunnymen.

Dug | www.skratchmagazine.com

This four-song debut EP from New York sonic-pop quartet Motel Creeps is a lush, melodic journey full of dreamlike passion. With influences that range from Joy Division to The Cure, this band makes these songs their own in a way that defines this band on its own terms. The opening track, "Moon Boots", is wonderful tune dominated by Eric Butler's beautiful and sophisticated guitar leads. Unfortunately, the second track, "City Girl", falls back into a generic Echo and the Bunnymen-type sound. Greg Welch's vocals do carry these songs, even when the music or lyrics are lacking. This is a talented band that is developing quite a following in the New York club scene. With focused direction and a talented producer, the debut full-length from this band might be something to watch out for.

David Brecheisen | www.popmatters.com

The most noticeable thing about Motel Creeps' Pleasantries in the Parlor upon the initial listen is the immense production. The debut, 4 song EP sounds like the band took more than a couple of production cues from '90s rockers like Catherine Wheel and the Stone Roses. In today's post-punk and garage rock climate, the production alone has considerable effect making the band stand out among many of its New York City peers. However, Motel Creeps don't rely on production alone to captivate the listener. Throughout the EP, Eric Butler's melodic guitars couple with the very capable rhythm section to provide a lush sonic backdrop to Greg Welch's vivid lyrics. The opening track, "Moon Boots," is immediately engrossing. Deep, layered guitars flood the speakers, setting the stage for the cadenced, celestial lyrics. On "City Girl," the driving rhythm provides the backbone of the song's '80s-pop melody and arching chorus. Pleasantries in the Parlor combines the most accessible aspects of two decades of music by couching '80s pop melodies with '90s Brit-rock guitar and production. At times the EP simply alternates between the two styles, but is at its best (during "Moon Boots," and the chorus of "City Girl) when they are fully in stride.

Pros: vocal styling     Cons: it's only 4 songs long.

Pleasantries In The Parlor an EP from New York indie band Motel Creeps is a four song trip back in time. With a sound like that of late 70's and early 80's soft rock and a bit of the trend that came in with the retro dirty rockers from the same state.

absolutepunk.net

The lead singer sounds a bit influenced by the somber sounds of the 80's in the form of bands like The Smiths and The Cure, but he doesn't come across sounding identical to them. It's a very soothing voice, the kind that could sing the phone book and it wouldn't matter. It's a voice that would be great to hear singing you to sleep every night. There are lots of retro influences in the sounds of the EP as well, but a bit like the Strokes too. With wailing guitar solos in each song, some lasting longer than the song itself it seems. But along with each musical interlude you become more and more impressed with the talent of these guys. For only four songs it's a great listen, something that would be amazing for laying down at the end of a long day and mellowing out with.

www.Smother.Net

What an unbelievably great little band we've got here. Their knack for song craft is without peer and somehow they mangle pop and melodies in a way that The Smiths tried but were too wrapped around Morissey's melancholies. It's so incredibly smooth and polished that it almost seems like it must have been faked in some mammoth major label studio instead of being recorded at Hoboken's The Pigeon Club. Apparently these guys have a thing for production and I just wonder what the hell they could do with an unlimited budget.

Chuck Eddy  | The Village Voice

Local boys, aiming for an emotionally anthemic swoop like many an '80s British guitar band.

Bill Ribas  | NYRock.com

Dang, man, as soon as I put this in I was back in the heart of the '80s, and my brain tried to think who the singer reminded me of (ah yes, from Echo and the Bunnymen, the one with the bad teeth). It is weird, in a way, to hear bands emulating that style, when you've lived through the '80s and experienced all the stuff that you now see on nostalgic VH1 specials. But that's my problem. Unfortunately, the problem with this glorious disc is that it only contains four songs. Now with a lesser band, it wouldn't matter so much, but with this band, it's driving me nuts, because I want to hear more. And it's not a nostalgia thing, but rather a sincere desire for more since they did such a good job on the four cuts here. Greg Welch has a good voice, though it could be a bit more prominent in the mix, and Eric Butler's guitar work is real nice. His leads and rhythm work are sweet, though not over played. The rhythm section of John Vitelli on bass and Jim Connolly on drums holds the band together tightly. Until they have a full disc out that you can sink your teeth into, waltz on over to www.motelcreeps.com for more info.

Editors Pick  | CD Baby

No less than giagantic, cosmic, euphoric pop that glows red and orange, stoking the fires in the gut. Drawing from shoegaze rock to 80's new wave buoyancy to more current echoes of Coldplay and U2, the Motel Creeps layer in huge towering guitar lines that circle, sway and dive in and out of kinetic beats and crunchy, three-dimensional harmonies. One thing is certain- this album gives the sense of a 360-degree view from atop a peak, clouds seeming to stretch from your fingertips and the world below simplifying into merely what you need to do and what you can let go of. A brilliant disc.

C. Martine  | New Brunswick Underground

This EP landed on my desk two weeks ago and it has been in beyond-heavy rotation in my iTunes library ever since. It's so damn easy to connect with... just the right combination of reminscent vibes (the comparisons to Echo and the like are valid) with fresh executions and interpretations. Eric Butler's guitar work is brilliant (and nicely muted where appropriate) and Greg Welch's vocals are right on... with a style and attitude that makes me feel as though I am part of the NYC cool-kid-club just by hearing him sing. I've only heard these four songs, but it already seems to me that these guys have one of the best sounds to come out of the Big Apple in the last few years. I just hope that the rest of the world gets to hear it also. And soon.

www.theset-up.com

in short: rad
at first i couldn't think of it. within a split second of hearing the vocals i had been reminded of someone...some band that i couldn't think of and it drove me nuts. today i pressed play and it popped into my head: alkaline trio! that's who it is. the lead vocalist intermittenly displays the harmonizing abilities of matt what's-his-name on "moon boots". that's not to say that he carries on as so right through the entire disc. he picks up minor bits of other genres, such as early 90's alterna-rock along the lines of urge overkill and ballad crooning ala morrissey, creating a good mosaic of his vocal capacity. the music is decidedly less punk-centered than ak3 with the delicately lavish atmosphere of a well-produced charlatans uk or stone roses song. while the vocals play the mainpart, the guitar commands a larger portion of the songs than any other instrument with a semi-clean sound formulating a broad ambience and making sure the tracks lack nothing....there's bascially no down time - the songs are full their whole way through. they're reportedly working on a full length follow-up to this 4 song ep, which i'll be looking forward to.

Slug Magazine

Moon Boots sways in an Echo & the Bunnymen jam with a slightly more Interpol flavour. I'm not blown away, but I'm pleased with combination of warm guitars and distant vocals. The remaining tracks "City Girl", "Gun for Hire" and "ocean Storm" are solid, but not nearly as interesting as the first. Definitely a band to keep your eye on.

http://www.slugmag.com