Review of Phanerothyme taken from the
Canadian music magazine
EXCLAIM!, July 2002.
In English. Transcribed by Robbie Chaplick.

Motorpsycho
Phanerothyme
(Stickman / Fusion III)

You know in cartoons when a snowball is dropped on a hillside and it rolls down, gaining mass and momentum, increasing to the size of a compact car? One suspects a similar phenomena has transformed this Norwegian band over its 13-year history. Not only has their rolling ball gathered musicians (16-plus members), but musical styles that sprawl across jazz, prog, indie and experimental fields. To wit, the first three tracks go from string-happy Nick Drake-ish folk to Freddie Mercury-meets-Jimi Tenor indie psychedelia to a frightening piece resembling a Styx song penned by Tim Rice. Strangest of all is how well it all works. Instead of suspecting it's a hoax, you're feeling like you may have found a long lost '70s uber-jam that ties together the works of Yes, the Doors and the Godz. Such an album is not without its pitfalls, but what guilty pleasure isn't? Instead of worrying, just let the Motorpsycho snowball roll over you.

Eric Hill