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The Sea
Artist: Hotel Persona
Album: In the Clouds
Year: 2008
♥: AaaaAAAAah I love this group.

I discovered them in Fall '08, when someone posted a Placebo discography. Hopeful for some new b-sides, I clicked -- what I got instead was magic! An album from the bassist's (Stefan Olsdal) side DJ project -- Hotel Persona. Laden with electronic and Spanish influence (yeah, I know -- and often in the same song), you can still hear that heartwrenching Placebo rock.

The album is great, partially because it's quite diverse -- you go from Spanish guitar and castanets to pulsing synths to swooping, sparkling ballads. That makes it seriously hard to pick a song. "Modern Kids" was my initial favourite, featuring Brian Molko (there's something that makes me so happy about that: band members supporting each other's other projects, I just get all warm fuzzies!) and sharp social commentary/synthesizers (and a weird Russian-style chant throwback at the end...this album is an exercize in multiculturalism!). 

"The Sea" is not necessarily reflective of the album -- it's definitely the most Latin-influenced of the bunch. Interestingly, it's never been one of my total favourites ("Apocalypse", "Addicted", and "Touch Me" are all up there) -- but I was listening to it while driving the other day, and to my complete surprise I had to shush my sister and blast it. I love the gravelly, accented voice that starts the song off -- Stefan Olsdal sings second, as nasally as his buddy Brian -- and the contrast between the two, the interplay, the richness and the whines, echoed later instrumentally.

This song builds beautifully; I should've chosen it for the buildup theme. The frantic claps that kick off as Olsdal starts singing, the passionate build to the break at 1:55. I love, LOVE when the Spanish vocals and guitar start in. All the rich layers.

This song makes me use my arms all big and dramatic when I dance to it. I also love that I like it so much more now than I did a few years ago; I think I appreciate its theatricality and those rich layers all the more because I am listening to music so, so differently, now.

A good way to kick off the year, I think -----
You gotta blast this one!