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A weird package imo. But I guess it’s supporting the scene? Pretty steep price though. The Maiden Voyage is a great little thing, almost summing up their career upfront, but in a bundle with all the other reissues with these bands, not interested. It almost seems like a plot by some record executive to get people to buy these other records, only wanting Motorpsycho. Hook line and sinker, capitalist strategies. But, Seriously – hi Phil Collins – and I’m only speaking for myself, maybe there’s diehard Sanderfinger and Funny Farm fans out there, if so, happy them! Have a trip.
If it was new bands on the Trondheim scene, and MV was a curiosity item, like the Sub Pop Singles Club (sorry for the very 80s reference) it would make sense. The Sanderfinger record is at best a curiosity due to the MP link, but it’s not really a great album imo, to say it gently. Sorry the negativity, but I was a bit disappointed – I wish MP could have treated this reissue as an official release, with the same care as the other rereleases, with additional outtakes and in a bundle with Lobotomizer and the other pre-DB records. It would have made more sense.
Anyway, maybe it’s supporting some old Trondheim rockers, and that’s a cause in itself? Dunno. Count me out this time. But bring on the Trust Us box-set and I’ll be forever happy ✌ï¸Just don’t bundle it with Tre SmÃ¥ Kinesere or that other record by Sanderfinger 🤞
Haha yes very energetic, lol. Nice interview, lovely loopy space cadet HMR! Saw him recently at De Utvalgte’s show (the same theater group they did Begynnelser with) at Black Box teater in Oslo, last show tomorrow. Very nice, Snah doing a soundscape with his guitar and some effectboxes inside a glass box. Mmm!
@Punj – Yes, Bent goes into the Joni references in PPP and its background in this podcast (https://pod.space/lagemusikk/episode-37-bent-saether) though it's in Norwegian
When google starts translating podcasts you should have a listen!
@psychonaut – I agree! I remember LLM feeling like a real departure, both in terms of the music, the first album with KK, the suite, and as the first record on Rune Grammofon. I wonder if this is the very transition point Bent is talking about in the interview; when MP went from a “career in rock†to an ongoing art project with the records more as “proof of process“ than products. Good and bad imo, good in the way it’s given us so much music, and so many great side projects, bad in the way that this approach maybe results in a certain work method where song-sketches are fleshed out in practice, which makes them a bit formulaic (or that they settle in a certain groove or vocal melody), whereas before I got the impression Bent or Snah would present a 90% finished song, and the band would “finish it offâ€. This might also explain why I find it hard to tell a lot of the Rune records apart (the artwork doesn’t help), whereas the older ones has more distinct identities. I get that they were tired of writing all these songs though, that it felt a bit like a “hekkeløp†in the end (quote Snah after BHBC if I remember right, which actually does feel a bit like hurdle racing, though a great one;–), and the new approach was a necessity in order to survive. Backed up by Rune they could finally allow themselves to be an all out experimental band on an art label, and work as such. Which was great at that point in the career.
So yes, I agree w Psychnaut over here that there is an interesting mirroring between TAIO and LLM, and perhaps some clues to both my love for this latest decade of MP records, and also my problems with it.
I might have to adjust my initial reaction a tee bit. I was *overwhelmed* by N.O.X., and I share all the sentiments shared by everyone in here. Mindblowingly good! As for the other songs I was so happy about the mix of soft and hard. Though through further listens, and some rounds w the Tower, I think the “shorter†tracks stand out more on the Tower. Just a song like In Every Dream Home, a classic. Ship of Fools! I miss some of that exploration on this one. Some of the later “rockers†have been a bit formulaic. And I miss one of Snahs heavy and mournful and beautiful songs (On My Pillow! Upstairs–Downstairs! Before the Flood! Year Zero! A Pacific Sonata!) But we’ll get that next time around, or on the one after that, I like that the Snah gems are spread out, and that they’re worth waiting for. The heavy emotional heart of MP imo.
(I’ve also been playing BH/BC a lot lately, always nice to dive back in the catalogue when a new album arrives, and what a record. The last great collection of “songsâ€. Feels a bit like they were cleaning up the house after Geb, and the final album of that 90s 00s period. Brings back memories!)
As for the lyrics, I agree, The All is One song is a bit cringy. I find Bents lyrics better when they’re more poetic and obscure. STG tells me more about life and politics than Politician(!) or The All is One, but hey, sometimes you want to be direct! I guess Bent got something to say ;—)
All in all it’s a good record – a great one! – and I love trajectory of the latest output. Working in trilogies has always been a good concept for MP, though I *do miss* the EPs and leftovers, odds and sods. The Dowser and Like Chrome would have been such material. But why complain, it’s another great(!) record, and they’re back in great shape since Thomas joined: he’s a subtle and heavy and (amazingly) melodic counterpoint in this geometric triangle that is Motorpsycho, and perfectly fits and balances Bent and Snah, much like Geb did. And like some reviewer wrote, we won’t get another Timothys or Trust Us, but that’s ok, we have those records, and the new stuff is something else, and I love where it’s going. Now looking forward to some live shows!
Great review from Adressa in Trondheim, let’s see if it can get translated. And there’s an absolutely *lovely* photo of the guys for the article, wish there was a way to upload photos to this site!
30 år etter sin første plateinnspilling makter Motorpsycho fortsatt å fornye og revitalisere seg, ikke minst gjør de det på dette monsteret av et dobbeltalbum.
Trilogien «The Tower», «The Crucible» og nå «The All In One» er kanskje det sterkeste album-trekløveret Motorpsycho har skapt siden de var på sitt mest ustoppelige midt på 90-tallet.
Musikken er blitt til i dialog med Håkon Gullvågs malerier. Begge uttrykkene tar for seg de helt store spørsmålene, trusler mot miljøet, trusler mot demokratiske rettigheter, monopolisering, ensretning. Det er i hvert fall det inntrykket vi har. Motorpsycho har en tendens til å pakke ting inn, gjøre de mer kryptiske, åpne for personlig tolkning. Jeg kan for eksempel innbille meg at tittelen og tittelkuttet spiller på kulturell ensretning og monopolisering, Amazon & Co, men jeg vet ikke.
Det store verket på albumet, «N.O.X», hadde visstnok tittelen «The World» da det ble fremført i sin første utgave under den spektakulære konserten på Olavsfest i fjor. Men den opprinnelige tittelen indikerer en slags messe for en såret jord (som det vel faktisk er) og fremstår kanskje i overkant pretensiøs. Det mer kryptiske «N.O.X» ble valgt. Og hva står så «N.O.X» for? Muligens en kombinasjon av en forkortelse for et ganske smalt science fiction-fenomen og et nikk til den greske natteguden Nox. Men igjen: Hvem vet? Det jeg rent faktisk vet er at dette fascinerende albumet inneholder noen av deres mest streite og strukturerte låter på mange år, samtidig som det inneholder deres kanskje mest krevende stykke musikk noen gang.
Dobbeltalbumet er delt inn i tre bolker , først fem låter spilt inn i Frankrike sist september sammen med Reine Fiske, under samme studiobesøk som deres Ole Paus-samarbeid. Så kommer albumets hovedverk, 47 minutter lange «N.O.X», delt inn i fem satser og spilt inn i Ocean Sound studio på Sunnmøre. Så til slutt et knippe upretensiøse, nesten skisseaktige låter, spilt inn i bandets øvingsrom på Dora.
Det kan virke rart at «N.O.X» er plassert i midten, og at man dermed ikke bare må skifte side, men plate midt i sekvensen. Men rekkefølgen gir absolutt mening. De fire første låtene setter lytteren i stemning for filleristingen under «N.O.X», og så kan man roe nervene og puste ut til de delvis nedtonede siste fire låtene.
Tittelkuttet åpner ballet, og tar opp konkurransen med «The Tower» som den beste enkeltlåten bandet har skapt det siste tiåret. Et mektig og intelligent verk som bringer tankene til 70-tallets progrock og nesten vel så det (ja, jeg antyder symfrock). Men den er full av energi, og jeg kan knapt vente til jeg får oppleve dette live.
Etter den fine, men noe flatere og allerede singleutgitte «The Same Old Rock» får Bent sving på monsterbassingen på «Magpie», en ultratypisk Motorpsycho-låt som vi nok også vil få oppleve i mange live-variasjoner når slikt blir mulig igjen. En mektig åpningstrio som etterfølges og gjøres fullkommen av «Delusion (The Reign Of Humbug)» som er det nærmeste Motorpsycho har kommet en klassisk Greg Lake-ballade.
SÃ¥ følger massive «N.O.X» der bandet, som pÃ¥ urfremføringen, støttes av Lars Horntveth og Ola Kvernberg. De bidrar pÃ¥ synth og keyboards til en massiv sonisk vegg. Kvernbergs fiolin er bare med pÃ¥ Ã¥pningssekvensen «Circles Around The Sun», men der er den til gjengjeld en mektig pÃ¥driver til de trolske østlige stemningene som nok har gitt inspirasjonen til utgivelsens pussige promobilder. Etter den hypnotiske Ã¥pningen bukter «N.O.X» seg i de fleste retninger. Det er ytterst fascinerende, men noen stillestÃ¥ende perioder mÃ¥ pÃ¥regnes. Enkelte jÃ¥lete øyeblikk ogsÃ¥. Etter konserten i fjor sommer skrev jeg at jeg liker Motorpsycho best nÃ¥r de er nærmere Motorhead enn Wagner, og jeg gjentar det nÃ¥ – men understreker ogsÃ¥ at det ikke er ofte pompøsiteten tar overhÃ¥nd. De har den grunnleggende energien.
Et pussig særtrekk ved samlingen som helhet er at påfallende mange låter starter med klimpring på akustisk gitar. I to minutter lange «A Little Light» får Hans Magnus Ryans kassegitar hele lydbildet. Veldig fint. Men de fire løsere avslutningslåtene er ikke bare nedtonet. Lange «Dreams Of Fancy» er et dynamisk eventyr i seg selv og «Like Chrome» er et mektig punktum på et imponerende, massivt, krevende, mangslunget og utmattende album. Etter gjentatte gjennomhøringer i den siste uken gleder jeg meg til en ny runde. Men jeg tror nok jeg trenger noen dagers pause først.
Anmeldt av OLE JACOB HOEL
Oh Lord! Guys, I can’t say how surprised I am! And how excited! THIS ALBUM! It’s the best in absolutely decades? And that’s saying something regarding the output! How they could top the Tower and LLM I dunno, but they did, in excellent form. 10/10. And 10 for an excellent and elegant landing. The production, the vocals, the compositions, stripping away most of the baroque inclinations, leaving everything more playful and oxidized, and of course the MAJESTIC NOX, but also everything else, including the ditties. Damn. I can’t actually remember this constant quality from their hands since Trust Us. And this might just be better imo. Or at least a tie. Or a real contender! It’s a different beast, off and for a different time, but still a real attempt at that high bar. The highest. (I know these sort of comparisons are a tiresome and useless and rather dull exercise, but why not, we are nerds). The best of the Unicorn coupled with some of the 90s and pop-era vibe to create these … crystallized morphed space-gems. And I who thought this album would be a festival-commissioned dud. Maybe my “low†anticipation made it more of a knock-out. But. Thank you Motorpsycho! Thanks for feeling truly *relevant* again. And thanks Bent for that insightful and not so *smartass* ;—) memo, a nice read. I never though I would say this about a new MP album again. But damn. You did it.
Wow, Frankfurt 95, baby Bent, sweet! They look like a high school band in this clip, guess it’s the hairdos:) What a treasure. Always nice with some crappy sound and mid-90s footage. You’re on a roll these days Bernie, thanks SO much!
Nice! I’ve always wanted to see the entire set, the VIVA special being one of my goto acoustic MP vids on youtube, and ‘98 being my favorite MP year. Thanks!
Wow. This record is so much better than my (pretty high) expectations that I’m at a loss of words. Really. MP is doing something quiet extraordinary with Paus’ songs, his voice, his lyrics and melancholy. And all the changes, the details and the production: Amazing. Need to experience this live. Thanks guys <3
@Oakey : Good to have you back! Agree totally with your comment.
@Punj : Couldn’t agree more. They would NAIL it. A real acoustic folkish piece, I’m sure that’s on they’re bucket list. I hope so.
Regarding kraut I always found a Neu influence on Überwagner (I guess also reflected in the title?) or maybe it’s just me. But I’d def love them to explore this side more, hm, dreaming. I’m exited about the new project though, the one after this latest Tower installment, I think this will point the direction ahead, at least for the next few years.
And, regarding the topics above: this band never ceases to spoil us. It’s never ending, and I’m 100% sure they’re in it for the long run, they’re still sonic scientists and the muse seems to be ever present. Thank God or some Space Deity for that!
Love it! Nice roadtune, rolling along. Very TITS agree, didn’t expect the country vibe at all. The guys do a nice job (of course), even sweet background harmonies:) and Thomas, great. Nice w something immediate once in a while. Reminds me of the early 00s MP. I really get that this must have been an adrenaline rush for Paus, going from the more, hm, slow, to this.
