Formed
in the late eighties as an alternative metal band, Norway’s
Motorpsycho soon became musically inquisitive, developing a unique
blend of grunge, psychedelica, stoner-rock and indie-rock, as
well as incorporating the sonic noise experiments of associated
member Deathprod. Since 2000’s ‘Let them Eat Cake’,
they have undertaken a radical change, both in terms of line-up
and style. Now a three-piece consisting of Hans Magnus Ryan (guitar,
vocals), Bent Sæther (bass, vocals) and new member Kenneth
Kapstad (drums) the trio are far more ambitious in their musical
adventures, moving to the outer-reaches of rock- an image made
all the more tangible thanks to the spacey Hiorthøy designed
artwork adorning the albums cover. Easily pigeon-holing Motorpsycho’s
music is now a far more difficult proposition as their latest
offering, ‘little lucid moments’ drums up four lengthy
slabs of music that shifts with ease through the more experimental
and psychedelic facets of rock, fusing them with a tranquil ease
that comes with musical experience and Instrumental dexterity.
Within their cosmic sound lies the DNA
of space-rock, prog rock, post-rock, emo-punk and west coast psychedelica
all steeped within a dark-tinged, glossy beauty that seeps from
the pores of their instruments. The 21 minute opener, ‘Suite:
Little Lucid Moments’ is a perfect example of their ability
to fuse varying sub-genres in an exciting and fluid manner to
create a contemporised real-rock journey with the epicness and
ambition of the early 70’s rock trailblazers. This is true
of the whole album as one minute they may be engrossed in Cave
In-esque cosmic-rock chock full of liquid guitar swirls and forceful
percussion, the next they are in the mellow meets forceful prog
territorty of Opeth. Listen further and the trio is suddenly employing
epic high/low dynamics that regale in the simmering beauty of
Japanese post-rockers Mono, and the next minute they are immersed
in a deep-fried Fleetwood Mac-esque psychedelic freak-out. With
such long tracks, arrangement is the key to sonic-fulfillment
and Motorpsycho drop in enough variation to keeps things interesting
without being too choppy and uneven to break up the momentum they
have worked so hard to achieve. Powerful drums and bass chugs
create a palpable sense of tension before abrupt drop downs into
punk-fuelled rock-out’s, or surprising shifts into more
mellow and progressive passages. Guitar melodies drip with a golden
beauty, captivating the listener and sucking them into the heart
of the rhythm, with the drums, bass and adjoining sound-effects
coalescing to create a hypnotic sonic ride that is as melodic
as it is energetic. Sæther and Ryan’s harmonious English
sung vocals are part Mikael Åkerfeldt, part Steve Wilson;
gentle and emotional when needed and riding across the melodies
with an enchanting splendor.
With
‘little lucid moments’, Motorpsycho has created an
epic rollercoaster of an album that fuses many of rock’s
leftfield sub-genres within a psychedelic aesthetic that’s
as assured and as clinically delivered as you would expect from
a band on Rune Grammofon. (KS)
For
fans of: Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Mogwai, Cave-In
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