Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel
Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel is the second album by Minnesota-based band Sleeping in the Aviary. Originally released on October 14, 2008, it was re-released on vinyl on July 26, 2012.[2]
| Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]()  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 14, 2008[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop/Rock | |||
| Length | 45:40 | |||
| Label | Science of Sound | |||
| Sleeping in the Aviary chronology | ||||
  | ||||
Recording and style
    
Sleeping in the Aviary's frontman, Elliott Kozel, wrote some of the songs on Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel while in a hospital in Colorado waiting to find out if his mom would die (she didn't).[2] The album was recorded soon after Kozel's mother's hospitalization, as well as a co-worker's brain aneurysm and a friend's drug overdose.[3] He has since said that he didn't like Expensive Vomit very much and that he thought there were "four good songs" on it,[2] and the album's style was "a conscious response to Panic! at the Disco’s last album", saying, "They weren’t keeping it real so we thought we’d try to add some flavor."[4] An article in Free Press Houston noted that Expensive Vomit's music took "a decidedly more folky and weighty approach" than did Sleeping in the Aviary's previous album, Oh, This Old Thing?.[5]
Reception
    
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| Allmusic | |
| Alternative Press | 3/5[7] | 
| The Badger Herald | |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A–[9] | 
| No Ripcord | 6/10[10] | 
| Punknews.org | |
| Three Imaginary Girls | 8.5/10[12] | 
The album received mainly positive reviews; for example, The A.V. Club wrote that it "opens up the band’s tender side amid its lo-fi scars and unruly freak-outs,"[13] and Katjusa Cisar described it as "a blistering and catchy mix of punk, folk and rock".[14] Cisar later named the album one of the best Madison releases of 2008.[15] It was also ranked as the second best Madison album of 2008 by Rich Albertoni in Isthmus[16] and one of the 10 best "albums you didn't hear" of 2008 by Magnet.[17] Well-known music critic Robert Christgau awarded the album an A−, later ranking it #43 on his Dean's List for 2008.[18]
Track listing
    
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Write On" | 3:05 | 
| 2. | "Calm Me Down" | 3:32 | 
| 3. | "Gas Mask Blues" | 5:05 | 
| 4. | "Maybe You're the Same" | 3:54 | 
| 5. | "Things Look Good" | 2:56 | 
| 6. | "I'm Old" | 2:46 | 
| 7. | "Everybody's Different, Everybody Dies" | 2:42 | 
| 8. | "You're a Party" | 4:11 | 
| 9. | "Ladybug Death Song" | 4:01 | 
| 10. | "Girl in the Ground" | 4:13 | 
| 11. | "Windshield" | 9:15 | 
Personnel
    
- Elliott Kozel—vocals, guitar, songwriting
 - Phil Mahlstadt—bass guitar
 - Kyle Sobczak—guitar
 - Celeste Huele—accordion, musical saw
 - Michael Sienkowski—drums
 
References
    
- "Expensive Vomit In A Cheap Hotel - Sleeping in the Aviary". Sleeping in the Aviary. 14 October 2008.
 - Green, Loren (25 July 2012). "Sleeping in the Aviary interview 1: On Maroon 5 and Googly Guy". Citypages. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
 - Schaults, Janine (8 October 2008). "Sleeping In The Aviary preview". Illinois Entertainer. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
 - Albert, Jason (25 November 2008). "Interview: Pale Young Gentlemen and Sleeping In The Aviary". AV Club. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
 - "Take Five- With Sleeping in the Aviary". Free Press Houston. 11 December 2008.
 - Greg Prato. "Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel". AllMusic.
 - "Sleeping In The Aviary". Alternative Press. 2009-01-22. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
 - Reed, Alexandra (16 October 2008). "Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
 - Christgau, Robert (1 February 2009). "Consumer Guide: February 2009". MSN Music. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
 - "Sleeping in the Aviary: Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel". No Ripcord.
 - "Sleeping in the Aviary". Punknews.org.
 - "Sleeping in the Aviary — Expensive Vomit In A Cheap Hotel". Three Imaginary Girls. November 2008. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
 - "Sleeping In The Aviary". AV Club. 25 August 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
 - Cisar, Katjusa (21 November 2008). "Q & A with Sleeping in the Aviary: Back in Madison after a wild ride". 77 Square. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
 - Cisar, Katjusa (2009-10-15). "Clubs roundup: St. Vincent brings emotions to forefront with vast talent". The Capital Times. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
 - Albertoni, Rich (19 December 2008). "Winning spins: My top ten Madison albums of 2008". Isthmus. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
 - "Best of 2008: Hidden Treasures". Magnet. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
 - "Robert Christgau: 2008: Dean's List". robertchristgau.com.
 
