Hotel Pools - Nature

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Hotel Pools’ Nature is a skillfully crafted, ambient synth voyage through tranquil soundscapes and meditative moments. This album has a quiet beauty to it that permeates each sonic element, carrying the listener through moods of deep peace and gentleness. This is music for quiet contemplation and restful moments. I can imagine laying in the grass as a summer breeze caresses me while I listen to this album.

I am taken by the atmosphere that is created on Nature. Hotel Pools weaves together well-selected synth sounds to generate calm and relaxation, touched with a hint of melancholy. While the tracks are short, each interweaves into the other to paint luscious and textured imagery. Soothing emotions mingle with nostalgia for summers past with hints of melancholy in a way that I find intensely pleasing.

The way in which Nature unfolds keeps me engaged despite the music's ambient qualities. This is music with many layers and engaging auditory interactions within the flowing ease embodied within each track. Hotel Pools has lavished care and attention on the music and the end result is a gorgeous musical exploration of the more tender side of the natural world.

I'd also like to acknowledge the guest artists who contributed to this album. They seamlessly integrate their own unique styles with Hotel Pools’ sound to add depth and richness. Collaborative efforts in music are something that I find absolutely pleasing and that holds true here too.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Stay Awhile" starts as a Illuminating, broadly swelling synth grows into the music with a steady background hiss. rounded, calming notes float out through the intensely trembling, gleaming cloud of synth that rises around them.

The hissing background adds a steady sonic flow as the trembling synth glides through the music with luscious tones. The background is full of breathy exhalation as the lambent, full sounding notes drift into the static. I feel the stage being set for this album's tranquility and beauty with this track.

Smoothly vibrating synth shifts below ethereal notes that move above with tentative delicacy to open “Only An Hour Away.” A breeze slips through the soft background sound as tranquil synth notes ripple out like waves on a still pond.

A vocal sounding synth drifts like a floating leaf, cradling me and filling me with restful peace. Broadly radiant notes call out in a soothing motion that brings to mind a sun dappled grove of trees. the synth waves become an insulating blanket that soothes me as the song fades to quiet.

“Into The Stars” starts off as sweeping wind drifts through the music along with a shadowed synth. Warmly shimmering notes descend in a pacific pattern that shifts like undulating leaves in a soft breeze. A lucent synth smoothly sends curling tendrils out through the other musical elements.

The glimmering lead synth has a tranquil sensation as open sounding notes slowly descend around it. Chiming, glistening synth planes through the music in sparkling motion. In the background, bass fills out the music. There's a meditative melancholy in this track that I find hard to resist as the full sounding notes grow silent.

Reverent synth with a tremulous feeling swells into the music along with slowly sweeping air to commence “Zigzag.” Distant sounding, glockenspiel like synth touches the music with tenderness and ease.

A tide of cloudy warmth caresses me as the fragile, breathy sounds in the distance unfurl. The diaphanous background surrounds the rounded, ringing synth as it trickles through the music with melancholy gentleness before the track fades away

“The Moon Looks Pretty Tonight” begins as crickets chirp and a lustrous ambience flows from an elevated synth with a haunted feeling. Full sounding, rounded synth notes float out, carrying a melody with a wistful emotional backing. Chiming synth glimmers with gentle illumination as bass forms a washing tide below.

This piece of music beautifully evokes a full moon shining out over a lush landscape. The nasal sounding, slowly vibrating synth imbues the music with a ghostly feeling while the sounds of nature create softly touching soundscapes and the track comes to an end.

Glistening synth floats out with an uncertain feeling as Lush bass rumbles underneath to open “Falling Horizon.” Metallic, chiming notes drift out into the music with the incredibly rich, interwoven background sounds flowing together.

A swirling mist suffuses the music, broken by twinkling synth in the background and long sonic washes that unfurl smoothly. There's a silken motion to this music that draws me in as it wraps around me.

I can take an easy breath as slowly descending, gently shining synth is carried away on a tapestry heartbreakingly caressing notes above the continual tape hiss.

“Give Me More Time Begins” with a resonating synth echoing into open space. Deeply reverberant notes trail along with smooth motion as they tremble. Rising lustre swells through the music as rounded notes move with a steady flow.

I find myself drifting along in a peaceful haze as the warmth suffuses me. A broadly spreading sonic pool fills the music below slipping notes that carry on into space. Bubbling sounds flow with aquatic smoothness before the track ends.

Hollow, ringing notes shiver through the music as fuller sounds grow to start off “Thinking Of You.” Strings intertwine with muted light as deeper sounds plane outwards. Piano notes softly touch the music as the background expands with tentative weight.

The piano has a tender touch as aching emotion permeates it. The piano’s utter delicacy is something I find beautiful here. Breathy sounds slip past as the track comes to a quiet conclusion.

“We Will Make A Song Someday” begins as birdsong moves along with a glockenspiel that shines with tremulous light, flowing out to open space as airy sounds move in a smooth tide.

Brightness flares from the background as the sounds of nature move gently. The xylophone-like instrument’s open sound is joined by a choral synth that exhales with soothing motion. This track's lushness is an ideal way to close out the album.

Conclusion

There are albums which transport me to other places and Nature is one such album. As the waves of enfolding sound wrap around me, I am carried on their tide through soundscapes of meditative calm and continual ease. Hotel Pools takes me past the heartache of a broken world and into pure, unadulterated harmony.