... And at a certain point, I told myself: "ok, I love the '90s Motorpsycho, "Trust Us" has become one of my absolute favorite albums (definitely in my top 20, maybe even in my top 10), I don't know a damn thing about what they've done from the '00s onwards (aside from the fact that it's a rather debated period among fans; from what I've read, here and elsewhere, the general impression I get is that they haven't reached the same levels as the previous decade, and this makes me even more curious due to my often contrary nature). Let's start with the latest release, first of all because it hasn't been reviewed here on Deb yet, and also because I want to see what effect listening to them by skipping about fifteen years of their production has on me." Well, the effect, ladies and gentlemen (truth be told, first reviews here on Deb are notoriously few), is amazing, because this is a fantastic album and (I'm dropping the bomb) I put it right after the already mentioned "Trust Us" and "Timothy's Monster" among my personal favorite Motorpsychotic records (yes, yes, I know there's also "Blissard" and "Angels and Daemons At Play", but, well, they never really got to me, what can I say).

Compact and complete, massive and melodic, with their inclination for elongation on full display but with solid songwriting at the core, in a word, mature, "Still Life With Eggplant" is the album that finally made me understand first of all that this great band still has a lot to say, and then that I've certainly missed a lot but that I will soon catch up, maybe starting from the previous one and from that "Black Hole / Blank Canvas" that Darkeve recommended to me when I asked him for a '00s Motorpsycho album. 

Between well-structured jams suspended between distorted guitars, moving choruses, and instrumental psychedelic digressions ("Hell, Part 1-3", "Ratcatcher"), wonderful tracks (the cover of Love's "August" and the melancholic, liberating, evocative, and extended "Barleycorn (Let It Come, Let It Be)") and a heartwarming finale ("The Afterglow"), the album flows superbly leaving you with the desire to put it back on immediately, as soon as you finish, which is not something to be underestimated.

In short, as far as I'm concerned, the perfect springboard to dive into their years (I bet mostly underrated) because "oh, but they're not like they were fifteen years ago" and thankfully, because it means they're a band that seeks, and as you know, those who seek, eventually find. 

Tracklist

01   The Afterglow (05:57)

02   Barleycorn (Let It Come/Let It Be) (07:18)

03   August (04:52)

04   Ratcatcher (17:10)

05   Hell, Part 1-3 (09:47)

Loading comments  slowly