Gruff Rhys Hotel Shampoo Review

My review of Gruff Rhys's latest album Hotel Shampoo is now up over at Donnybrook.

Here's just a quick take on the album:

"Beginning with “Shark Ridden Waters,” the listener is immediately swept into a world of espionage and intrigue as if they were in a sexy, retro spy thriller. A smooth ’60s-era melody cycles hypnotically in the background as Rhys gently coos shadowy lyrics like, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but lately I’ve been feeling like I’m truly… at the end.”

From there, the album quickly pivots from song to song in a quirky, schizophrenic journey that somehow manages to make sense. The tracks range from glum ballads like “Sophie Softly” to the upbeat and frenetic piano of “Sensations In The Dark” and the ’90s alternative rock throwback of “Patterns Of Power” with its Weezer-esque guitar riffs. Throughout each of these stylistic transformations, Rhys’s light falsetto is always present, imbuing each track with slight tinges of misery."

Head over to Donnybrook to read the rest or check out the video to "Shark Ridden Waters" below.

AA Loves: Gruff Rhys

Check out Gruff Rhys’ “Shark Ridden Waters” from his forthcoming album “Hotel Shampoo.”

Shark Ridden Waters is a whirl of a time machine that brings you back to the psychedelic grooves of 60’s pop. With his angelic voice, smooth guitar riffs, and the sounds of the beach, surrender to the acid fueled visions of free love, happiness, and sexy times.

Interestingly enough, his upcoming album is named for his manical habit for collecting mini shampoo bottles and other single use toiletry items from hotels. According to Gruff, “I hoarded these objects in a rush of mild kleptomania. Every room in my house began to amass these plastic bottles and various, hotel-related things from every continent on earth (except Antarctica). Having never kept a journal these items have become like diary entries, triggering memories of all those buildings and random people I've met and inspiring some of the songs on the album.”

This album then is “an act of revenge against the colonisation of our house, I vowed to build a hotel out of the items and sleep in it. The resulting Hotel Shampoo creation serves as a monument to the waste that’s produced in our disposable age and to catalogue my transient existence.”

To coincide with the announcement of his latest album, he recently unveiled an art installation that he created using all of the various items he had collected while on tour staying in hotels. Check out the video here.

Listen below and head over HERE for a free download.



Also, be sure to check out the recently released video below. It’s a quirky spy story that’s definitely worth a few minutes of your day.