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@ supernaut: The least thing I want is to open a merely technical/theoretical debate. I'm sorry if you got that impression. I merely try to explain why some albums – the latest MP opus among them – sound rather unsatisfying to me compared to other albums. In the end I can only repeat what I have read, learned and (partly) experienced myself, without any absolutist stance.
As a matter of fact I rate the sound feeling highly, thus sometimes excellent composition and playing craft is overshadowed for me by unsatisfying sound. I like a warm, organic sound (for instance on HBM) much better than a more cold, to me rather sterile sound, a feeling I have when I listen to KoO. This is at first hand a purely personal feeling that I try to understand in a way by considering recording and mixing techniques. In the end what counts is the direct experience, and I can only relate to that. As a matter of fact I have often experienced the sound of more technical oriented bands (virtuoso playing over overall expression) to be rather thin or sterile. Whether there is really a relation between these phenomena is open to debate.
Which only shows the "Progarchives" crowd took its time to recognize Motorpsycho's qualities (or is rather slow on the intake). Once you are convinced even the weaker albums are rated higher than the brilliant ones – or to put it another way: it takes a real monster of an album to convince you, the rest then is an easy ride for the Trondheimers
Obviously: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorpsycho#Albums
Doesn't mean too much these days – they probably had to sell more albums to reach #80 with Phanerothyme back in 2001.
@ shakti: watch your fuckiing language
HBM: I love that "turd" – I consider it the best thing to come since god knows when – HMF probably. Of course there was new – and arguably even better stuff – following soon.
Hell mini-LP is a very good idea – especially as a Roadwork IV 1/2 live "Hell" album!
Probably the Düsseldorf version with the thunderstorm raging outside…
@ Elvin: "The Watcher" as the darkest KOO number belongs to the LP version I think. Emphases the atmosphere
I'd suggest a final EP/Mini-Album in Barracuda Style with folk (-rock) tracks only. Probably one or two additional ones. I'd love that!
Motorpsycho's first AOR album. And still a motorpsychedelic album – squaring the circle, I'd say. Clearly a headphone album. I like it the way I liked the Dead's last official studio album "Built to last" – very headphoney
@ supernaut: How do you then explain the sterility of sound quite a few people have complained of? Maybe your programs tell you there is not too much compression – I rather trust my ears and feelings. But then I'm an analog freak and used to record my band's stuff on 12 channel tape. I remember we had the sterility problem even then – it depended, who did the mix. So it is probably not (just) compression. I have experienced a lot of people mixing according to theory (fixed frequency values etc.) and forgetting about the warmness of the instrumental sound. Probably this is an ideological debate – but still I find Snah's guitar sound on this album quite unsatisfactory. Probably already too compressed during recording the tracks – or whatever. Probably microphones too close to the amp/speaker. The distortion sounds quite flat to my ears. Place your (Marshall) amp at one end of the room and the mics at the other and turn up the volume! This procedure of course depends on the studio room available with all its sound properties.
I think you could debate endlessly – in the end it is the result that counts.
@ the conscience: It is not the music itself – I consider that really great. Just some special sound properties that put me off a little. Probably I just have too turn up the stereo to full volume
Hehe – that's because this reviewer obviously doesn't know mid 70s Jethro Tull – so he has to revert to the "poor man's 90s prog band".
@ Punj Lizard: There's one dominant cause for the lack of dynamics you & others experienced. It's called "compression" and has been lamented here before. Not only kills the organic sound of the album, but also reduces some of Snah's divine solos to (almost) trash Рsoundwise. Reminds me of the latter day Moțrhead albums Рcouldn't stand the guitar sound Рobviously digital recording compressed to death. Shouldn't happen on a heavy rock band's album! But these are the times РI can hardly listen to most of the stuff published today, however interesting musically Рsoundwise it's Armageddon!
I'm not totally opposed to a little compression here & there, especially on bass, but it shouldn't kill all the living essence of a good guitar sound – let alone excellent music in general!
@ supernaut: Motorpsycho according to Sting – "If I ever lose my faith in you"…
@ ebo: you're absolutely right – the compression habit is awful, even on this gem.
A lukewarm review, but at least they know what they write about, obviously listened to the album, contrary to Sueddeutsche Zeitung with their favourable review. Problem is – this album needs a few spins, a good rocking chair and ideally an excellent pair of headphones. Nothing to grasp at first listen, as I can tell
@ Johnny_Heartfield: "A little light music" it ain't. Stupid idiot!
Though based on modernized Sabbath sounds and a little pompous symphonic rock elements with the occasional very slight tendency towards solo drywank (sorry Snah!) – stuff I abhor (not the Sabbath of course) – Motorpsycho take a stylistic pile of shit and turn it into gold on this record. A very grown-up album, extremely sophisticated and very motorpsychedelic, despite all the musical changes over the years. When you get older you obviously lose some of the roughness and mindless energetic drive of adolescent years, but – in this case at least – gain a lot of experience, craft and a little humour and irony hardly found in stone(r)-age youngsters.
This album is a feast for the ears, and I still talk about the first two sides!
Have to correct myself again:
The best Motorpsycho album is always the one you listen to. Period.
@ Kid A: No!
@ Spacebandit: For once I disagree most distinctly – the best MP album is always the next to come! As for the Dead – come on, there is no MP album like "Anthem of the Sun"! Alright, I agree – there is also no Dead album like "Kingom of Oblivion". They're both the only ones who do what they do…
Really nice diversion from the more dramatic stuff of the "Gullvag" years. Still a little too clean for my taste. Even a little math-rock inspired zappa/vai-style guitar wanking included on "Cosmoctopus Lurker".
My favourite part is clearly side three – the gloomy Empire's End, the Hunt, the Jansch-inspiret Atet. There are several elephants in the room this time – not only the whiskered one and the one-legged one with(out)the flute. Some obvious references with typically MP style mock-reverence titles like the "Cormorant". Tony Iommi style riffs all over the album. A quiet Roy-Harper vocal melody introducing "Dreamkiller". The folk-inspired or acoustic pieces give a nice contrast and make up for the more streamlined hard rock pieces like "The Waning" – the latter could have been called "After the Gold Rush pts 2a and b" lyricwise. They should have named the album "A little light music" and themselves "Elephant's memory" for this one. Still they're the only ones who do what they do, so no real criticism on my part. I'm really starting to enjoy the album already.
