Los Angeles-based quartet Saint Motel, comprised of A/J Jackson (lead vocals/guitar), Aaron Sharp (a sharp – lead guitar), Dak (bass), and Greg Erwin (drums), makes music that is a sonic mélange–or a gumbo if you will.

Much like their multifaceted music, the farcical foursome at one moment engage in hilarious banter, arguing whether bikini bar Cheetah’s can be deemed a “dive bar.” At the next moment, they beautifully break-down the well-crafted aesthetic of their videos for “1997” and “Benny Goodman,” both filmed at a historical Los Feliz watering hole called the Dresden Room. Saint Motel deem the quirky lounge lizard vibe of the Dresden to be “quintessential LA” and subsequently the film-school friends were inspired by the vibe of the place for their album.

“Benny Goodman”

“The stories, the songs, of the album, are the stories that happened inside that spot, so for us, it was kind of like ‘1997’ and ‘Benny Goodman’ were stories within Voyeur and the videos we did were stories within the Dresden,” explained frontman A.J. Jackson. “It all takes places within the same place but they’re all in a different context.”

A spot decorated in old school leather-clad booths and Rat Pack-era lighting that keeps the room just the right amount of sultry amber, the Dresden Room is the perfect space to embody the slightly retro, revelerous vibe of Voyeur.

With big band horns and Jackson’s plush, well-balanced vocals, the band’s self-described “collection of stories” seem like they could easily melt into the once-luxurious earth-toned backdrop that hosts what Jackson says are “all these different characters” that are all separate, “but they all work together within the context of the bar that you’re in.”Whether that be the sorrowful or the seedy.

Standout single “1997,”for example, is based on something “sinister” that happened in that year, despite the song’s happy musical tone.

“I thought it would be a fun idea that on the surface is just about forging great friendships and nostalgia, but when you dig a little deeper, you see that there’s something much more dangerous,” further explained Jackson, hinting that we should look deeper into the meaning of the song. “It’s based on an actual event that took place in that year. They kind of give it that Saint Motel dichotomy.”

While the band wouldn’t explicitly explain what incident they were singing about, after some research that uncovered that 1997 was a busy year with Princess Diana dying, Mother Theresa dying, and OJ Simpson being convicted, their song is probably about the Heaven’s Gate cult suicide which is based on a theory that an alien spacecraft was following Comet Hale-Bop a/k/a the Great Comet that also appeared that year.

“1997″

Keeping the meaning of their songs vague and with a mixture of sounds that span the era, Saint Motel said they strive to keep their music timeless with songs that would be just as moving thirty years from now. “It feels very modern but at the same time it feels like that’s just always been,” explained Jackson.

Saint Motel’s collaborative energy is undeniable. Even in an interview they finish each other’s sentences, jokes overlapping on top of true statements, true statements being negated and turned into a joke, everyone’s energy bouncing off each other like highly-charged ions. It’s an amazing thing to witness, a fertile breeding ground of glorious intellect and ideas.

So, despite this effort to hold onto a sense of classicism in their art, Saint Motel also strive to be “as different as unique as possible,” and this comes through with their unintentionally-themed shows, their album that is emblazoned with the workings of their active imaginations, and the fact that all four members of the band tried to get married in Las Vegas but were hindered by the fact that same sex marriage is still illegal in the state and “they won’t marry multiple, like four people, they’ll only marry two.”

The band might not be able to pleasure each other on the matrimonial bed, but when Saint Motel was asked, based on a previous interview, what their tips for pleasuring women were, Jackson, would said his superhero alter ego would be “Saint Motel hype man,” used the opportunity to indulge in yet another plug for the album.

“The way…Saint Motel endorses pleasuring women is you take one part Saint Motel’s new album Voyeur which is available now on iTunes and our personal website, you put that on your record player or your CD player or I guess you could put it on your pod device or whatever and then you just press play.”

–Nadia Noir, KROQ Los Angeles

Saint Motel’s album Voyeur is available on iTunes. Follow the band on Twitter and Facebook.