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Jan 27, 2014 Hospitality By Hays Davis

Taking their time between the releases of their 2008 debut EP and self-titled 2012 album, the Brooklyn-based trio Hospitality has settled into a comfortable whole. Additional instruments are brushed into the picture now and then, though the band seems just as natural with a lean, straightforward sound as they do fleshing out the spaces.

The music of “Nightingale” ebbs and flows, from warm glow to muscular drive. With dynamics echoing The Delgados from a few years back, Nathan Michel’s drums fill every space as singer/guitarist Amber Papini solos. In “Inauguration,” Papini muses on relationship discontent as a gentle fog of feedback drifts: “Counting all the reasons why/You never say the same thing twice…Valentino, I don’t need you/Leave a message, leave it out to dry.”

“Rockets and Jets” is perhaps the album’s best example of the band’s versatility. Opening with searing electronic notes, the trio initially comes on like a synth-pop band before shifting gears to straight-ahead pop-rock punch, with Papini taking a brief, elegant solo. “I’m so glad you came here today,” she sings. “Laughing so loud you that can’t hear the sound of rockets and jets.” (www.facebook.com/hospitalitylives)

Author rating: 6.5/10