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What a setlist! Take no prisoners! Hell, NOX AND Crucible included… Diana & X-3 back…
Something you can probably get away with when you're playing three gigs in a row in the same location.
Wow – great compilation! If you didn't know already you could well guess where MP is coming from musically. I'm quite curious about the song they will write for ESC one day
@ supernaut: O.k. – a voice from the opposite end of the Psychonaut spectrum. Fine with me – we're as diverse as it gets. You're welcome!
I gave N.O.X. (TAIO side 2) another try this morning and began to understand my lukewarm reactions to this piece. What I miss is the raw power and energy that made the Crucible title track such a blissful experience. I think N.O.X. suffers greatly from the mix, with drums and bass too subdued in the background, while violin and keyboards dominate. That eats up much of the motor and some of the psychedelic engergy. I personally have always loved most the tracks where Bent's bass is loud and raw in the foreground, on a par with the guitar and the drums. This powerhouse is here being swamped by lots of polished keyboards without delivering a convincing composition or satisfying tune. Too much mediocre prog in my not so humble opinion.
Therefore I do prefer Sides 1 & 4, much to my own surprise. "Same Old Rock" has become my favourite by now, and I also like "Delusion" and "Like Chrome". Still that's not enough for me to make TIAO a completely satisfying aural experience. Probably my expectations were too high, pushed by the quality of the previous releases and the fantastic cover.
But let's not complain – there will certainly be another album in a few month's time – and, knowing Motorpsycho, it might by something completely different. And maybe all the polish on TAIO vanishes when the stuff's being played live. Who knows…
With all the raving reviews in that other thread I wonder what I'm doing wrong in still not getting closer to "The All Is One". Are MP just now reaping the harvest for years of excellent albums with that one?
It often happens this way: a band in a certain phase of their career, be it start or re-start, has to build up public acknowledgement over several releases, often never getting the applause they deserve, until suddenly reaching windfall with a last effort that carries all the momentum (not necessarily living up to the quality of what came before).
For Me "TAIO" is probably the fourth or fifth best album MP has released since 2014. After N.O.X. could not convince me entirely I tried a compilation of the more structured, simpler stuff for a lenghty train journey, but still those numbers didn't match those other songs I compiled from several rather recent "side" outings such as the Motorpnakotic Manifests, the Supersonic Scientists bonus tracks or The Light Fantastic and of course the California EP. Probably the latter stuff is more headphone-friendly…
While thus having learned to regard all those hyperenthusastic reviews of TAIO with a little scepticism (probably with all the bandwith and variety of the web these days bands create their own (very specialized & enthusiastic) reviewers instead of the other way round, like it used to be in the olden days, when critics literally made – or destroyed – the bands ) there's still the chance that I'm just being slow on the intake. Admittedly Here Be Monsters, The Tower and The Crucible got me at once, but BHBC is just now releasing its more distinguished flavours for me after all these years. So probably I'll champion TAIO in 20 years, but until then please forgive me for still being a little sceptic…
Still need much more growing time, but I do think this is the album with the best MP artwork for years. No wonder given the Gullvag contribution.
There is of course a little visual pun in the fun photo of the band included, with reference to the alledged ballet/dance piece inspiration for the N.O.X. suite.
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPh7yq_5UBM (around 0.36)
Got my parcel today. First impression after listening just once: Business as usual.
Rather mainstream – by Motorpsycho standards, that is. Nothing really boring, nothing too overwhelming. Nothing really new – not the overwhelming experience I had when first listening to "The Crucible". Songs not half as original as on "The Tower". Side 3 a quasi-electronic motormechanic destructive commando listener torment like the middle part of the "Here Be Monsters" title track. Great bass arithmetics/counter rhythms on Side 2 – comparable to the instrumental heavy part of 577 (live version). Great guitar work as always. Very competent drumming.
Rather weak vocals in typical Yes-style harmony washup.
So – your typical first encounter of another Motorpsychedelic opus. Let it grow!
I guess people who have been out to pick up their children from the crèche for 30 years now might be slightly confused at times
Motorpsycho sure keeps young!And yes – they're not the best at what they do…
Motorpsycho has always been yr elephant. Except for those who enjoy and make it big, big, big! So what…
As far as I understand the review in Plattentest, N.O.X. would have fared much better as a single album without the other songs. Well, we'll see in a few weeks. I do share the criticism of "Same old Rock" to some point, but let's not judge too early here – better not judge at all, but enjoy – and be it after the seventh desperate effort to digest another entirely new and still unfamiliar Motorpsycho record.
Can hardly wait as well, but will do. Getting everything the moment you hear of it partly diminishes some kind of value – waiting for it makes new music great and great music even greater.
We're all too wasted from the onslaught of consumer-friendly, mainstreamed or even agressive product merchandising – be it acoustic or otherwise. And thus forget to listen or concentrate – sometimes even mor than once – before we judge. But then: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can never make him drink" – you can lead a man to Harper, but you can never make him… (think? enjoy? like? dig? digest – whatever.)
Roy is not god – he is antigod! (divine, but gods-defying).
In response to Lizard's Pun (and all the other information):
"Creepy Crowley Creepy Crowley
Creepy Creepy Crowley Crowley
Bob Le Bad the Mystic" (Omm…)
Enough punning – eager to hear the music! Night of Pan – my God!
("Punning Punning, we're punning again…")
Actually c/o "Hippies United" (Paul Pott & friends) – I'm just the bringer of good news and deliveries
Excellent gig – best is yet to come! Thanx Bernie! Thanx HU!
@ Supernaut: Roy Harper IS God. Even though he sang: "The Death of God" (A mediocre late single, but just the same…).
Listen to this, and you might find traces of Iron Maiden in there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDPqhcYSKGg
Haha, just joking. "Thick as A Brick" is roughly from the same time, but came after Harper's "Stormcock" album – so who traces who? Ian Anderson counted Harper amongst his early idols and inspirations – "the first one to leave Blackpool", he quoted, before he went on to exchange the guitar given to him by one Lemmy Kilmister for a flute in the next music instruments shop (old stories…)
