Review of Let Them Eat Cake taken from the
Norwegian magazine
BACKSTAGE, #1 / 2000.
English translation done by Stig Aasheim.

Motorpsycho: "Let Them Eat Cake" (Sony Music)
Rating: **** (4 out of 6)

The "trøndertrio" Motorpsycho have over the last decade barely been able to turn on their amps without getting Hallelujahs all the way from the urban music-police in the capital (and elsewhere). Has it always been deserved? Well.

Anyway. Motorpsycho has always been varying (?) and creative. These two sides are also present in full bloom on Let Them Eat Cake. The heavy blasts and the hard punches are exchanged with a completely different sound. Acoustic guitars instead of noisy electric ones, the piano has entered. Horns. As with strings (used in full effect, together with a fine twang-guitar on the opener The Other Fool.)

It's not an overstatement to say that this is pretty laidback stuff. At least when it's Motorpsycho doing it. It's psychedelia (e.g. the choir (?) and the keys on Never Let You Out). It's light, but at the same time gloomy. They have even found room for pure jazz-elements (Whip That Ghost) in this "light" version of Motorpsycho's universe.

Motorpsycho have not at all lost anything by letting in a little light and air, or colors. The fact that the usual 12 minutes have been reduced to the more traditional 4-5 minutes songs doesn't harm either.

The list of references from the rockscene 1966-72 is endless. Motorpsycho have picked elements here and genres there and baked it all together to their own little well-smelling (?) cake.

Erik Munsterhjelm