As the brainchild of James Miles, a singer-songwriter-guitarist more accustomed to playing with bands than holing up alone with synthesizers, Hotel la Rosa comes across as a single thought rather than the amalgamation of many individual performers each trying to interject into the conversation.
Having played in a variety of bands around the Valley and performed everything from surf rock to country to good ol’ fashioned bar rocknroll, Miles opted to expand his musical exploration independently and see what he could craft.
Almost entirely comprised of synthesized noises, James Miles only began “messing with syths” a few years ago… although he does admit to an early involvement with an industrial band that originally brought him out to Arizona and originally introduced him to the splendors of synthesizers.
For an added mystical element on the album, Miles asked local songstress Lonna Kelley to help lay vocal tracks for the songs. Kelley bewitches the listener in a manner like Julee Cruise, particularly on “Flickering Moon” where her voice gains a spectral quality that elevates the album to an ethereal level.
Real drummers aren’t machines and in seeking to create an electronic album without that sterile, dehumanized aspect Miles focused on avoiding the common, unintentionally artificial, pitfalls of amateur musicians.
James Miles succeeds in giving a human feel to a digital creation, something he actively sought in making Hotel la Rosa. The “orchestra in a box” provided by digitalized instrumentation has been both a blessing and a curse for music lovers. Far too many people believe that MIDI works “like a toaster” according to Miles. “Push some buttons and in five minutes your song pops out.”
Likewise far too many underestimate the true capacity of electronic instrumentation in achieving human expression as moving as with traditional instruments. Thankfully, Hotel la Rosa stands to the contrary. Check out their September 12th release, available for free digital download, here.
The self-titled release by Phoenix’s Hotel la Rosa gives new life to synth pop in a completely unexpected way. James Miles, the solitary force behind Hotel la Rosa, takes the growing trend in electronically rendered indie (or indietronica) for a westerly curve with its eerie dream pop haze.
Hotel la Rosa gives voice to haunted machines. From the first track “Dangerous Game” the album reveals its slightly sinister undertones without allowing its dark side to overshadow the unearthly beauty of each song.
