Hotel Two-Way

Album Review

An album named for a Japanese rendezvous spot proves a lovely taste of Americana in this underexposed indie release. Tryst, a Brooklyn four-piece, makes an impressive surge forward with this follow-up to 2003's Kids of Big Stars, drawing equal influence from the alt-country pensiveness of Wilco and the restrained pop sensibilities of Prefab Sprout. While not a concept album, Hotel Two-Way exhibits recurring themes, most visibly in the use of women's names for several of the song titles. Beyond those character sketches, there is a very consistent theme at work: that one can't have everything, but one can have sex and temporary connection, and armed with that, one can bop through just about anything. It may be a faintly desperate ideology, but Tryst expresses it sensitively and with genuine passion, most successfully on the melodically lovely "Jessica," which offers a thoughtful and cliché-free lyric, choice harmonies, and a light, airy bridge. "Alexis" is another standout, the band deftly navigating the intersection between modern rock and alt-country, while "Abigail" playfully celebrates middle-class love as references to Freud and voicemails at work complete the picture. A few tracks wander afield from their musical comfort zone, but Tryst's combination of restrained, upbeat instrumentation with clear and plain truths make this an album well worth seeking out.