Renard’s second single features Marian Gold of Alphaville in a provocative song.
I must confess that I was hoping for ‘Heresy’, with Sarah Blackwood’s fragile and soulful vocal, to become the second single (you can listen to the song on our playlist). Besides, ‘Hotel’ seems an odd choice for a single. Hitting the five-minute mark, no clear chorus, and provocative lyrics, it hardly fits the nowadays concept of a commercial song.
The song has a slow build-up. A sparse intro with distant strings in the background and a low rhythmic arpeggio gives space to Gold’s vocals. The delivery of the lyrics is precise, with timing and intensity that lets the lyrics sink into our mind
“At the end of the floor lives a grey old man,
He rents with his son since many of years
He’s a junkie perhaps, pumped up with religion
Some call him god but I think it’s a joke
Some call him god
But I think it’s a joke.”
There is no chorus, instead a B part that plays like a faux chorus and, at every appearance, marks the spot for a change in intensity. By the second A part we get the bass drum and a guitar, so you notice things are getting serious, is this heaven or is this hell?
“Two-three-seven gives rise for concern, don’t go in there for you never return
Sister Louise thought she was Salome, here she comes, jumping from the balcony
Here she comes
Here she comes
Here she comes….”
The repetition of the last sentences is meticulously used to built-up tension, and it works perfectly.
A little break after the second B part, we are at the eye of the storm, and settings for the final message is ready, the bass drum returns at the first delivery of the last sentence, almost emphasizing the fate of the listener/character, and it gains momentum at the repetition, preparing for the climax to come.
“Well, here’s one room I almost forgot, to me it’s an utmost exquisite spot
Some call it hell but I’d say it’s undue, this room, my dear, is reserved just for you
This room, my dear,
Is reserved just for you”
Reinhardt stated that Renard is his most personal work, and the odd choice of the single proves it. We can only hope that it breaks the barriers imposed by commercially-minded content curators, both Reinhart and Gold are talented artists and deserve more airplay.
The beautifully animated video was directed by Babis Alexiadis.
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