Motorpsycho
Black Hole/Blank Canvas

The swan song?

No. They're back. Motorpsycho makes a grand comeback with this "Black Hole/Blank Canvas," which will delight longtime fans.

Their last true album was four years ago (It’s a Love Cult), definitely an eternity for them, and moreover, last year, their historic drummer Geb left them suddenly. What to do? The two survivors, Bent and Snah, are undaunted and release a monumental double album, which finally distances itself from the pop edge with strings and Beach Boys-style choruses that characterized the last albums, leaving many puzzled: now, indie rock atmospheres dominate, reminiscent of the sound of "Timothy’s Monster" and "Blissard." A welcome return to the past.

To think that the entire album was played and recorded by just two people is incredible, given the almost garage-like production with a very raw sound, as if they were playing live: the two manage to put together 17 songs for over 80 minutes of raw psychedelia and killer riffs enriched by mellotron and Taurus – it's not a miracle, but now more than ever, the overall quality of the record remains at very high levels. "No Evil," the captivating opener, immediately sets the tone, with a riff reminiscent of Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation," as does "Kill Devil Hills," characterized by a delicate intro that slowly transforms into an acid delirium. “Loud & Fast” seems to be the new motto of Motor (Hyena, In Our Tree, Sail On, Trexteene) at the expense of experimentation (but what is left for them to experiment with?); nonetheless, there are moments of pure psychedelia (the unsettling "Critical Mass, Devil Dog") and even two ballads (the moving "The 29th Bulletin," "Before The Flood," with a long guitar hero solo by Snah).

Also notable is "You Lose" (My Bloody Valentine just around the corner), the only track featuring Jacco Van Rooj on drums, previously with 35007, 7zuma7, and Suimasen. The stoner-rock of "Bonnie Lee," a bonus track on the limited edition EP, is noteworthy, which only a few fortunate ones have had the pleasure to hear. Bent's excellent work stands out as he also takes care of the drums this time, even though he's not at Geb's level – he hits like mad (the punk-like "The Ace") -, and Snah, particularly, shows more inspired vocals than ever (the aforementioned "Before The Flood"). The risk of boredom is widely avoided thanks to the particular solutions adopted by the duo, creating a varied yet homogeneous project, interesting under many aspects, which will certainly make longtime fans happy, confidently standing up to comparisons with past productions (among other things, snippets of the old albums are scattered here and there, as in the lyrics of "Fury On Earth" or in the riff of "LTEC" that recalls "Star Star Star").

All we can do now is wait to see them live on the upcoming tour which will also hit Italy in May. Not to be missed!