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Rating: Since I've been on this site, I set myself a goal: to try to review all the albums of a single band. I searched here and there, but I noticed that many of my favorite artists already had too many reviews, while for others I never even dared to attempt it.
Luckily, there was a band with very few reviews on their shoulders, namely Motorpsycho, so my choice fell on them. I believe that this decision of mine will not raise too many protests and that it will help introduce a band that, for better or worse, I have always appreciated.
This is a trio from cold Norway, one of the homelands of Metal, and in their early works, this influence is clearly felt. So here I start with "Demon Box," which theoretically would be their third album; however, it's better to start from this one, in fact, I don't have the first two and it doesn't seem like I'm missing much.
Over 70 minutes long, it opens with "Waiting For The One" which could be misleading, a folk-rock start complete with flute, only to be quickly disillusioned by "Nothing to say," one of their most famous tracks with a rather simple but very engaging chorus, and by "Feedtime," a very hard-hitting track with metal sounds. Their main musical influences from that era become immediately clear, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and especially Dinosaur Jr.
It continues with "Sunchild" which nods to punk, then comes two other alien bodies, "Tuesday Morning," a psychedelic piece although with a hardcore ending, and Moondog's cover "All is loneliness," of which I don't know the original version but it seems like a really nice track, perhaps my favorite on this album.
At this point, the acoustic interlude of "Come On In" introduces us to the second part of the album: the restless "Step Inside Again," which would be a perfect soundtrack for a horror film, especially for the truly scary ending; anyway, it's just an introduction for the 17 minutes of the title track, a song that's grunge-hardcore too with a long interlude full of noises, effects, and improvisations ending with dramatic violins.
It picks up with the short punk-inspired "Babylon," which is the least interesting for me but necessary after the trauma of the previous songs, then comes "Junior" (the title perhaps isn't a coincidence but could be a tribute to Dinosaur) a quite melodic and pleasant indie. "Plan #1" anticipates what the group's future will be, in fact, more marked melodic lines and interesting psychedelic insights are seen, while the ending is left to another "Feedtime"-style piece, namely "Sheer Profoundity" and "The One Who Went Away", meaning the first track in a hard rock version.
So what can be said in the end? Well, their music still needs to be better defined; it was still too raw also due to a lack of care in production, not to mention the majestic suites like "The Wheel" or "The Golden Core" are missing, and the vocals are what they are.
Anyway, it is a courageous, varied, and original work, many ideas will be taken up in subsequent works, for example in the next monster of Timothy... but that's another review.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Waiting for the One (02:50)
The wind blows the hair from your face
while you’re waiting by the porch
on this July sunny day
I see from the look in your eyes that you’re worried:
will he come today?
You won’t be here tomorrow morning,
but you said that yesterday as well
I bet I’ll see you here all summer:
waiting for the one who went away
The blueberry-dress is the one you’ll be wearing,
cos that’s the one that he said he liked
and maybe tomorrow he’ll be returning,
and all will be alright
you won’t be here...............etc
10 Babylon (02:30)
Your son's wasted, mama
and he don't care if you don't
he's hurting when he's concious,
annd forgetting when he's stoned
there's too much confusion
and too much pain
your bastard son blew it again
disillusion is the name of the game
try playing wounded when there's noone to blame
pride is the mouse and pride is the cat
why do you all have to be like that?
Babylon,oh Babylon
your gardens have pools in them now
Babylon,oh Babylon
the TV-set's your holy cow
the neighbours kid,mama
he OD'd last night
I guess something here just ain't quite right......
Babylon!
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Other reviews
By Fabio1
"In its pleasant youthful confusion this album is an extremely important step in the band’s development."
"The apocalyptic title track, made of feedback and devastating noises for their own sake (Sonic Youth dominate here)."
By Armand
One is so immersed in an immediate transcendental joy that the smile it elicits remains throughout the album’s duration.
The Pandora’s box screams with a delightfully ungraceful shout that has nothing of suffering, it’s a hurricane of bloody happiness narrating invisible abrasive purities.
