Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Over at the HawkwindAnniversary Twitter account, they have retweeted this from writer Joe Banks:
Quote:Ladbroke Grove klaxon: there's a new Motorpsycho album coming out next Friday, Kingdom Of Oblivion. Not only is this almost a Pink Fairies album title (Kings Of Oblivion), but it features a cover of Hawkwind's 'The Watcher' which, if anything, is even creepier than the original."Even creepier than the original" – I like the sound of that!
Quote:Kingdom Of Oblivion is the latest title release from the Norwegian group Motorpsycho, whose history was incarnated as a grungy heavy rock outfit and developed into a style of musical form that takes you on a journey that is almost as winding as the band’s life so far. They have over 20 releases under their belt.The three-piece, featuring original members Bent Saether and Hans-Magnus Ryan and complemented with Tomas Jarmyr on drums, have delivered their 4th album with this line-up.
Well over an hour in length and it takes you through an epic multi visionary musical ‘trip’.
Opening track ‘The Waning: Pt 1&2’, leans heavily on a Sabbath-esk bass rhythm then dabbles into a Hawkwind psychedelic mood powered up by a clear strong guitar line throughout, getting faster approx. midway with a clean ending.
‘Kingdom of Oblivion’ brings you that same guitar tone, but more of it, brings you a feel of early 70’s rock.
Over 14 minutes gone and only end of track two!
‘Lady May 1’ strong acoustic and takes you back a bit further into the late 60’s.
‘The United Rebased’ is my album favourite. Keeps that early 70’s sound and mood on guitar, vocals and big keyboard back tone. Big guitar throughout. It takes so many twists in the speed and pace but keeps you engaged throughout its 9 minutes.
Next track up the ‘The Watcher (featuring the crimson eye)’ does not get going with the same push as other tracks on the album and is the weakest.
‘Dream Killer’ starts off slow and easy with a great acoustic build up, then wham at about 2 minutes in, you are taken up a few notches in speed and power, haunting vocals, it mirrors well where we got to on ‘The United Rebased’. You are then slowed down again for the last minute. Another great track.
‘Atet’ comes as a short track, instrumental filler.
‘At Empires End’ opens with that great acoustic tone, builds up and takes you on an 8-minute journey which reminded me of a Led Zep/Yes/Sabbath psychedelic amalgam. If one thing strikes me the most about this album it is the great guitar sounds and tone throughout, from crisp cutting clear to heavy distortion and everything else in between. Very evident in this track, which is another favourite.
Great acoustic guitar again from ‘The Hunt’, it’s a track with a good vibe and leans again on Led Zep but this time with a bit of Tull in the mix.
As with track 7, ‘After the Fair’ comes in as a short acoustic interlude to prepare you for the next track.
‘The Transmutation of Cosmoctopus Lurker’, lets you sit down for a minute, then you’re pulled up and hanging on to that beat similar to that which opened the album. 7 minutes later you’re still up there but then gently brought down to end the song calmly. Another album favourite.
In closing, ‘Cormorant’, an instrumental, slows you down further after the previous track and brings the album to a solemn end.
‘Kingdom of Oblivion’ is a good long album, takes you through a pleasurable journey of brilliant musical talent, lifts you and then lets you settle back down again, then repeat. Its that type of rollercoaster. If you like your music with a hazy psychedelic rock pioneer feel then its for you.
For me top tracks are ‘Dream Killer’, ‘At Empires End’, ‘The Transmutation of Cosmoctopus Lurker’ and album favourite ‘The United Rebased’.
Score 8/10
Quote:With the infamous 42 '"NOX" suite, a precious and ambitious cornerstone and placed at the end of a trilogy that began with "The Crucible", in the previous album "The All Is One", Motorpsycho dived into prog rock from the glory years, with scenarios that can rememberKing Crimson, Genesis etc. etc. “Kingdom of Oblivion†now presents a varied but on balance spartan rock and always of a 70's and earlier nature. From the first bars of this album, clearly characterized by a hard rock mold, the latest Opeths come to mind – “The United Debased†in particular – who love playing 'seventies' so much. You don't want to write it acrimoniously, yet in the case of Motorpsycho it was foreseeable that after so much magnificence, after so much daring, the band would choose a leaner step but in its own way, it must be recognized, with peaks of refinement. This continuous retro playing is proof that the Norwegian band wants to experiment, even when they probably don't have any experimentation to do. “Kingdom of Oblivion†appears to have been recorded in 1970 and around – even the cover of “The Watcher†written by Lemmy Kilmister when he was Hawkwind bassist – but it is evidently a current product. The result is however interesting, usable, enjoyable by the Norwegians but the focal point is that “Kingdom of Oblivion†is a good album because it is in the standards of the band. A standard that sees them faithful to that playing that embraces the old and throws an eye as far as possible to the contemporary, playing rock, psychedelia, folk hints. A way dear to the Motorpsycho, among the first to look back during successive eras of modernity. The band always sounds good even when everything is less than rock, perhaps with graceful San Francisco-style folk litanies of the summer of love or a psychedelia of yesteryear in the style of Robert Fripp. There is space and time, just over seventy minutes because Norwegians always have a lot to say, sing, play. It is not always necessary to do it after over twenty albums, floods of EPs, live albums and so on, the risk is to repeat itself in certain situations and to repeat other people's gestures.(Alberto Vitale) Rating: 7.5 / 10
Quote:Motorpsycho have been unfairly robbed of world domination by a fashion obsessed United Kingdom and U.S.A. since their inception in 1989. However, with a loyal and cult following in their hometown of Trondheim, Norway plus Germany, Italy, Belgium, Scandinavia and the Netherlands they have all been enthusiastic converts for many a year. The UK and USA’s loss I reckon. Who needs them anyway? Does it bother collectively Bent Saether (bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards and drums), Hans Magnus ‘Snah’ Ryan (guitar, vocals, keyboards, mandolin, violin and bass), or Tomas Jarmyr (drums)? Probably not. They always seem too busy creating and releasing albums and seem more inclined to let the music speak for itself.Motorpsycho maintain a long-standing and powerful presence on the European rock scene to this day with sheer hard work and raw talent aplenty. 2017 saw them inducted into Norway’s version of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they’re arguably one of the most innovative hard rock bands still around with one eye on the future, but also quite a few nods to the past. A past spent studying and loving early 70s progressive and heavy rock, including many luminaries of that high class and standard in heavy rock. Far too many to mention as I feel their names are dropped far too often and lazily in rock music reviews, so I won’t. You know who they are, plus you can hear their influence all over this record.
However, there is a hell of a lot more to Motorpsycho than rehashing 70s prog and heavy rock. Somehow, they’ve managed to continually reinvent themselves and stay relevant in the 21st century with each new album pushing the boundaries. Quite a feat considering their huge output. Their back catalogue easily matches any of their heroes’ records and Kingdom Of Oblivion is no exception.
Kicking off with a familiar riff The Waning Parts 1 & 2 impresses on the listener their talent and ability to still create songs with a great diversity and atmosphere while also hitting you hard where it matters most, your head and your heart. Title track Kingdom Of Oblivion maintains this spontaneity with an interesting and powerful wall of sound. The balance and influence of electric and acoustic stringed instruments on the whole album were used a lot during the golden years of 1969 to 1973. The band take this on board adding light and shade to what’s on display, Lady May 1 being a great example with its folk influenced vocal and acoustic style.
The Watcher originally released on Hawkwind’s 1972 release Doremi is attempted and executed well with help from The Crimson Eye capturing that dark, psychedelic vibe so prevalent on many old school progressive rock albums, many that are still celebrated today by the rock press. Tastefully executed, its well placed on the record and proof that considering the flow of an album, is still worthwhile and a skill in itself. Like a book that reads well, this album flows and carries you, the listener, along with it, at a nice pace and on a decent journey.
Dreamkiller takes it down then grabs your attention as the storm arrives and the battle sounds like it’s just begun. A real standout track bringing to mind Jethro Tull at their earliest and heaviest. The vocals are sometimes reminiscent of the kind of British folk of the late sixties to my mind. Then it all melts into Atet, an instrumental and stunning acoustic track which helps you picture and really feel the calm after the storm.
At Empire’s End is an epic creation and a real standout track. I recommend listening to this album on headphones to really experience all it has to offer and to avoid all outside distractions. The Hunt continues the folk influence with more acoustics reminiscent of a medieval get together. The vocal harmonies are perfect and work beautifully on this song and levels of creativity are through the roof. Three decades and almost an album released every year, it’s a wonder they manage to still have so many ideas, and sheer creativity, to complete a classic old school heavy and progressive rock record.
The wonderfully titled The Transmutation Of Cosmoctopus Lurker returns to the crunching guitars and soaring melodies Motorpsycho are so good at and known for taking us to last track, Cormorant finishes off this progressive masterpiece in style. Classy, interesting, diverse, emotive, thought provoking, honest, solid and full of great ideas and interesting arrangements makes this worthy of any old school rock album the band are using as their template, plus if released in 72 or 73, it would certainly have catapulted them to the top of the progressive rock tree and a record deal with the mighty Vertigo or Harvest labels I am sure.
From weirdoshrine
Quote:Motorpsycho- Kingdom Of Oblivion (2021 Stickman Records)The cover of the new Motorpsycho record depicts mankind dead, covered in mushrooms, ready to be absorbed by nature and forgotten. We had our chance, we fucked up, we created this kingdom and will now slowly decay into oblivion. A harsh image, perhaps harsher then you might expect from these Norwegian progressive rock travellers, but then again, the planet is warming up, there is a pandemic going on, and it’s not like they haven’t warned us before…
Keep my sky blue//I know I need to//keep my hopes alive…
And yet there is hope. Motorpsycho have once again summoned all their powers to tell us we can still change. They have spent the last four years completing their amazing trilogy The Tower, The Crucible, and The All Is One, and still they have found the creative energy to create another sonic warning sign. Personally I was a bit sceptic at first, because with a band this prolific surely there would be a moment when they have said everything they needed to say and they would start repeating themselves, but no.
Make your choices, choose wise choose well…
Kingdom Of Oblivion sounds very like the modern Motorpsycho you have come to know these past five/six years, and yet it doesn’t repeat anything. The songwriting is more on point than the looser jams of the trilogy, more riff based too. There are some really heavy 70s fueled guitar bangers like the title track and the USA critical The United Debased and perhaps the biggest and heaviest track they ever wrote both in title and in length: The Transmutation Of Cosmoctopus Lurker. As we know Motorpsycho, the influences are all over the place, ranging from early King Crimson tentacular prog to heavy Black Sabbath stomping, to subtler indie songwriting, and a lot in between. Perhaps the biggest reason why it is such a treat to listen to everything they do is the sheer joy they put in it, the craftsmanship on display, and yet the effortlessness of the performance. Taking all into account it is quite unbelievable Motorpsycho is able to produce so much quality music in so little time, but they do.
Give me my liberty or give me dead//give me my coke and my crystal meth//along with my booze until my last breath…
Halfway through the album there’s a Floydian The Wall-like intermezzo with a creepy voice contemplating and warning: this is the end now, this is the end now, this is the end now…the album goes on though, and while song titles like Dreamkiller and At Empire’s End echo this prophecy of doom, you can’t help thinking Motorpsycho still see some light at the end of the tunnel. They found the fuel to warn us once more, more formidable and powerful than ever, so maybe now we’ll listen. If we don’t, then mankind will definitely have its Kingdom Of Oblivion.
The point of no return has finally passed, pushed over the edge…
Motorpsycho at least spoke out, had their say. It might not be too late for us. But if it is, and some future civilization will dig out this record they will hear a perfect echo of what this age of man was about: what great powers of creation we possess, and what great powers of destruction at the same time. Kingdom Of Oblivion feels like a band building a legacy, and I can’t find a more urgent and incredible album to listen to at this moment in time.
A rating of 8 from Musiczine.
Translation into English from Dutch:
Quote:Traditions are there to be honored, not a year goes by without at least one new Motorpsycho album. The fans already know what to expect with the umpteenth new disc of these stubborn Norwegians. The band has been working undisturbed for a few decades now with the brewing of their well-known prog-rock sound that invariably translates into yet another marathon album. In vinyl terms, this is almost always about a double album with guaranteed to be a bunch of over-the-top songs that often hit the ten-minute limit.The new 'King Of Oblivion' is another date. Nothing new under the sun, but that does not have to be bad news, on the contrary. After all, Motorpsycho just does what they are good at. That is why "King Of Oblivion" is not a surprising album, but a pleasant addition to their now impressive discography.
They are already the longest songs that will win the beauty prizes. For example, opener “The Waning Pt 1 & 2†sounds very familiar to the ears with a rutting riff followed by a series of wonderful guitar solos. Also “The United Debased†and “At Empire’s End†are pearls of the purest format, Motorpsycho at its best. An absolute hit is “The Transmutation Of Cosmoctopus Lurkerâ€, an extensive psychedelic stoner trip that explores the farthest ends of the universe.
Motorpsycho sometimes flirts with bombast, but they never get over it, check “Dreamkiller†that changes into an orchestral apotheosis via an acoustic intro but never sounds bloated.
"Kingdom Of Oblivion" breathes the well-known Motorpsycho sound from all possible pores, we wouldn't want it any other way.
@marc – As this is part one of two, my hope is that the fade out was only applied to the single version and that the album version will somehow transition from this to part two without fading out, but with more of the crazy guitar licks we hear in the fade out.
@radicus – but new shit has come to light, man.
@fco – Yes is just an example. They were the first band I really fell in love with in a big way (back in the 70s), and although they reinvented themselves a few times (not always in ways that I liked
), they are for me a perfect contrast to Motorpsycho. I've never been a fan of Tool.PS. The Waning (Pt.1) is growing on me more and more. And with there being a full moon right now, it's fair to say, "the waning has begun".
Some established bands stagnate because they just can't find a way forward, their creative juices have run dry, they have (song)writer's block, they no longer feel relevant, or they always think their next album is going to be compared to their greatest album and therefore is hardly worth the effort. Instead the members look for other projects, resign to being mediocre as long as the bills get paid, live on heritage-style tour money, or give up altogether. Hugely rare is the thirty-year-old band that says fuck-off to all that and just gets on with writing new music, playing new music, changing things up, and continuing to challenge themselves … and do interesting other projects on the side.
In the last five years Motorpsycho have given their fans music for a play (Begynnelser) that sounds nothing like anything they had done before (as well as performing in that play), The Tower, The Crucible and The All Is One — that's four discs of music, which, although sonically sound somewhat similar, were as a whole a definite move in the prog direction from what had gone before; and a fifth (NOX) that could stand on its own as an adventure in a different direction somewhat akin to In The Fishtank compared to LTEC/Phanero/IALC — and now another double album (Kingdom of Oblivion), that by accounts so far is related to the "Gulvag trilogy" in that a bunch of the songs came from the TAIO sessions, but may be more like Barracuda in that the songs had a heavy characater of their own that didn't fit with TAIO (and also includes some acoustic/folk material because, "hey, this is what we've been doing this week"). That's eight albums-worth of highly varied and in some cases very challenging music (even for this band's fans) in a time period that for most bands would elicit one album, maybe two if you're lucky (unless you're a fan of King Gizzard
). One may not enjoy the proggy stuff so much, or one may feel enough time has been spent on it, but I challenge fans of any other band to listen to Begynnelser, Intrepid Explorer, A Pacific Sonata, Ship of Fools, The Light Fantastic (the track), Delusion, NOX (and most likely at least one or two tracks from KOO) and still walk away thinking this band is stagnating or has run out of steam or ideas. Moreover, the quality! The quality of this music is outstanding. One or two tracks per album may come across as a bit meh, but I find it hard to be disheartened given the quantity and high quality we are unbelieveably lucky to experience as Motorpsycho fans. And I didn't even mention they're the best live band going, who don't even allow the songs they've laid down on vinyl to stagnate because they work and play on them every night they're on stage. The Cuckoo (for example) was, for me, a fairly dreary song until they started to explore it live, whence it became a gorgeous tapestry of threads unwound and reassenbled during the final jam.So while Yes's fans are continually going batshit because the band hasn't made another Close To The Edge, and the band themselves are unable to make another album becuase they know it'll always be compared negatively to thier great 70s albums, Motorpsycho just don't give a fuck about that – never have and as far as I can see, never will. So in the years since Yes made their last album, Motorpsycho have made around 15 (or more?) albums-worth of fucking amazing and highly varied music. 15 albums in ten years – that's more amazing music than some bands make in a lifetime. I may have found Same Old Rock and now The Waning (Pt. 1) a little unadventurous, but I really can't complain. I am super stoked about Kingdom of Oblivion, in particular because once again it sounds like it'll be an album of variety and becuase I'm hedging a bet that The Transmutation of Cosmoctopus Lurker will be as intriguing and captivating as the name itself.
I am still utterly blown away that a band like Motorpsycho even exists. Bring on the Kingdom of Oblivion!
8 points from streetclip.de
English translation from German by Google:
Quote:Since their inception, MOTORPSYCHO have always been good for surprises. Standing still is the death of the artist. Accordingly, they are one of the most ardent and active rock groups: “It is important for us not to become an oldie band wallowing in nostalgia, and the only way to avoid this is to look ahead and try Making music that lives up to who we are. If you show us your appreciation by also buying the new albums and not just screaming for the old oldies, then everything has been worth it for us. That's all we can ask for. Thank you very much! â€And we say thank you, for all these years and for the last great deeds, the GullvÃ¥g trilogy: 'The Tower' (2017), 'The Crucible' (2018) and 'The All Is One' (2020).Now it is time again for MOTORPSYCHO to explore new territory, to combine material that didn’t fit in with the albums in the end, with new ideas, in order to be able to spoil the following in spring 2021 with ´Kingdom Of Oblivion´. The fact that MOTORPSYCHO take on the MOTÖRHEAD song ´The Watcher´ on their brand new release and mix it with their own song ideas under the title ´The Crimson Eye´ raises the hope for an announced riff and hard rock heavy work. The fact that they dedicate the fine instrumental ´Cormorant´ to Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Martin Birch opens the horizon for FLEETWOOD MAC from afar; and that they also dedicate the instrumental ´Atet´ to singer and guitarist Bert Jansch from PENTANGLE, lets the clouds of Folk-Prog-Rock come up.
Of course, in old age, maturity and the insight that the unusualness and brilliance of a composition are decisive comes before the youthful zeal, as fast and heavy as possible. In 2020, MOTORPSYCHO did not, of course, mutate into an old man's combo, with mushrooms growing on its head from boredom. If ´Kingdom Of Oblivion´ is using leftovers from the past years, the mushroom creations were stored quite well. Because the entire work is a cloudy dream. Airy and velvet enveloped tones sprout like from another world and show no desire to wake up from it again.
In this way, but of course in typical MOTORPSYCHO manner, the tense ´The Waning (Pt.1 & 2) ´ rocks for seven and a half minutes at the opening (“The waning has begun, no choice for anyone.â€) And ends with a clatter and a squeaky sound. Subsequently, ´Kingdom Of Oblivion´ searches for seconds for the ´Houses Of The Holy´, but prefers to find the door to Psych Rock ("Kingdom of oblivion – I'm your subject, I'm your man. Kingdom of oblivion – I will stay here." if I can. ").
´Lady May´ descends very playfully with acoustic guitar and Mellotron into the levels of 70s songwriting. MOTORPSYCHO try their hand at an LED ZEP riff in ´The United Debased´ for nine minutes, jam-rock and finally indulge in bright bright colors on top of that. ´Dreamkiller´ glides over gentle waves before the song explodes raw and wild. The nine-minute ´At Empire's End´ move monumentally (“Let it bleed, let it burn, let it be, let me yearn, and turn your lovelight on for me so I can see, where to go, how to be free and who to be. Turn your lovelight on for me! ") as well as the ten-minute ´The Transmutation Of Cosmoctopus Lurker´.
(8 points)
Well it's not doing much for me on the first few listens, but I'm excited to see where it leads. Bring on April 16.
EDIT: A couple more listens and it's growing on me – even a nice little earworm taking hold! But there's a key/chord change in the middle of each verse that feels a little jarring. The main riff is quickly growing on me though, and I see why some think of ZZ Top, although the resemblance wasn't initially obvious to me. I guess I get a bit of a COTF / Gulvag trilogy vibe.
From The Obelisk
Quote:The heavy prog Kings in the North — Trondheim isn’t Tromsø, but it’s far enough up — Motorpsycho return on the relative quick after wrapping up a trilogy between 2017’s The Tower (review here), 2019’s The Crucible (review here) and 2020’s Spellmannprisen-nominated The All is One (review here) with the new 70-minute 2LP Kingdom of Oblivion, a record that seems to speak to current times without necessarily being of them stylistically. Also without not. Trust me, it makes sense.Now, to be sure, Motorpsycho are beyond review. I could say anything here and it doesn’t matter. To new listeners, their massive, decades-spanning discography might seem insurmountable, and indeed it might very well be a lifetime project of listening. Even their post-Heavy Metal Fruit (2010 and on) catalog is a mountain to climb, and perhaps an intimidating prospect.
More than that, though, Motorpsycho know what they’re doing and they have for some time. Kingdom of Oblivion enacts this massive span of work, but also makes it genuinely digestible with each side functioning as a piece of the whole. But with Motorpsycho, there’s just about no way founding members Bent Sæther (bass, lead vocals) and Hand Magnus “Snah†Ryan (guitar/vocals) as well as Swedish import drummer Tomas Järmyr, with the band since 2017, aren’t going to deliver the album they wanted to make.
Even as they’ve consistently explored varying textures and sides of alternative rock, indie, classic heavy riffs and vibes — dig that solo three minutes into “The United Debased†— and keyboard-laced progressive serenity, among others, they’ve carved out an identity that is wholly their own and is maintained on Kingdom of Oblivion. Motorpsycho said they wanted to make a heavier record. So guess what? They did.
Of course it’s not that simple even on its face, but with any new Motorpsycho release, the assumption going into it is that the listener is being placed in the hands of masters, and that’s basically how it works out across Kingdom of Oblivion‘s span. These players are not fools and they do not make foolish decisions in terms of craft. They cast purpose across the punchier beginning the record gets in “The Waning Pt. 1 & 2†and “Kingdom of Oblivion†and the folkish harmonies of the subsequent “Lady May 1,†the experimental atmospherics of “The Watcher (Including the Crimson Eye)†and “Dreamkiller†after “The United Debased†(which, yeah, fair), as they make ready to dig into the post-jazz “Atet†and revive the more rocking progressions on “At Empire’s End,†offsetting with acoustic stretches as they careen between styles and motivations.
Kingdom of Oblivion, which on headphones functions with a smoothness that’s outright beautiful in how it uses bass to emphasize melody as well as rhythm alongside the guitar and drums, is patient in its execution and refuses to go anywhere it doesn’t want to go, but that doesn’t at all mean Motorpsycho are doing only one thing throughout, because they’re simply not. Even in the earliest going — which is unquestionably where the harder hitting material lies and is the first impression the band wanted to make as a lead-in for all that follows — the songs aren’t entirely singular in their purpose as the second part of “The Waning†picks up motorik in the second half of that 7:30 track and the title-track meets its early fuzz with later wash of keys ahead of the guitar solo that borders on orchestral.
None of these moves are particularly unexpected for Motorpsycho, but that doesn’t make the journey less thrilling, and their embrace of a heavier push early gives the subsequent semi-extended pieces like “The United Debased†(9:04), “At Empire’s End†(8:36) and “The Transmutation of Cosmoctopus Lurker†(10:56) — each one featuring on its own side like the showcase work it is — all the more of a dynamic range to work from. Same goes for the acoustic work throughout and other more classically progressive moments.
“Lady May 1†feels like a nature-worshiping take on Simon & Garfunkel (that’s a compliment) and though “Dreamkiller†surges from its minimal beginning to striking heft, it flows easily to the wandering guitar of the two-minute “Atet†ahead of the grooving volume trades and engrossing payoff that “At Emipre’s End†provides, backed by “The Hunt,†a folkier jaunt that teases Tull-ish storytelling without going all-in with the flute and leg kick. Fair enough.
The softest and quietest Motorpsycho get on Kingdom of Oblivion is on side D, where the subdued “After the Fair†and the closer “Cormorant†surround on either side of “The Transmutation of Cosmoctopus Lurker.†As for the quizzically named longest cut on the record itself, it is duly dizzying in its riffs and solo work and melodically grand, vocals hitting an apex in the midsection leading to a guitar-and-keys chase that is, yes, head-spinning in King Crimsony tradition. They bring it down, threaten to build it up again, then leave it to quietest bass and ambience to cap, with silence as prelude to “Cormorantâ€â€˜s avant, far-off marching finish. An epilogue well earned, and they know it.
Here’s the thing. Yes, Motorpsycho put out a lot of records. Can’t be denied. I won’t pretend to have heard all of them. Yes, they have a history that goes back to 1989. Yes, it’s a lot. What matters more than quantity of the work they’ve done/do, however, is of course the quality of that work, and with Kingdom of Oblivion, Motorpsycho emphasize that the most essential moment is not the past but the present.
Motorpsycho are creating pivotal heavy progressive and psychedelic rock right now. Not in 1989. Not in 2015. Now. Before you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of taking on listening to them, not knowing where to start and so on, stop for a second and take it one thing at a time. Kingdom of Oblivion, oddly enough since some of it was recorded at the same time, works as an entry point even better than the prior trilogy because while one can hardly call it restrained across its run, it nonetheless brings to light so much of what makes Motorpsycho the crucial and influential band they are. I’m not saying ignore history and context altogether, but Kingdom of Oblivion stands on its own and is worth experiencing in that light.
@Bartok – some years back I purchased a Cowon J3 mp3 player (I don't suppose Cowon make them any more, but it is a fantastic player with superb and fairly detailed sound adjustment – way, way better than an iPod or any phone as far as I've heard). And with a decent pair of over ear headphones I use that to listen to music when I'm out and about. So I buy the CDs (I'm not a vinyl collector)and burn to my laptop and then transfer to the J3. The hard drive on the J3 is limited (pretty much full with just Motorpsycho albums!), but it also has a slot for a micro storage card, so I routinely add to or subtract from one of those (and I have a few more if I want to switch them about). Without a CD drive on the laptop, I'm not sure what I'd do – you have my sympathies.
My main concern with Spotify et al., as much as I find them handy for checking out an album before I buy it or decide not to, is the fact that evey time I use it, I give it more value and more credence, which makes it more powerful in the industry and as far as I'm concerned that's not a good thing. If everyone could just boycott streaming services like this, maybe they'd start to pay the artists more.
As for MP, I would like to see them increase their presence on Bandcamp to make those hard to get albums (like COTF) available to buy, rather than make them available to stream on Spotify etc.
