Artist: Motorpsycho
Album: The Crucible
Year: 2019
Rating: 87/100
Norwegian psych-rockers are one of those bands who seem to slip under the radar of most people, yet you hear their name mentioned frequently. Then, when you finally get around to listening to them, you wonder why (and, to a lesser extent, how) they have managed to stay under your radar for so long. Since forming in Trondheim in 1989, the trio have given us album after album of delightfully off-kilter psychedelic rock, and their twenty-third album (yes, twenty-three albums in a thirty year career. Impressive) The Crucible is a 41 minute long, three track magnum opus.
Opener "Psychotzar" is the shortest track of the album, clocking in at just shy of nine minutes, and it's a treat for the ears. Whenever Motorpsycho decide an idea needs to be changed up, they don't let it outstay its welcome and take the song on a completely different trajectory. It's a trick that has served them well for their entire career, and does so here. "Lux Aeterna" is slightly longer, starting with some intricate acoustic guitar before taking the listener on a journey of trumpets, mellotron, and countless other instruments before returning to the sonic starting point to close the song off. Finally, the title track is 21 minutes in length, but Motorpsycho do plenty to keep things interesting, not just with the instrumentation, but with the angular time signatures, too, giving it the edge of a track by instrumental titans Dysrhythmia, changing things up brilliantly without making it sound unnecessarily random.
On the strength of The Crucible, I'm stumped as to how I haven't paid Motorpsycho any significant attention before now. Considering they've been doing this sort of thing for thirty years now, and this is their 23rd album, they've got a strong track record of delivering excellent music, and this is an excellent album. A good starting point for anyone looking to investigate them further.
Track listing
1. Psychotzar
2. Lux Aeterna
3. The Crucible
No comments:
Post a Comment