Motorpsycho - You Gotta Hang On To The Trip You're On...

Review of AADAP taken from the
Australian fanzine
UZURLIKZURLI #3 / February 1998.
English. Found at the uzurlikzurli site.

MOTORPSYCHO – "ANGELS AND DAEMONS AT PLAY" CD
PRAY TV – "WESTONA" CD
(Shock Records)

Don't be under an impression that these two bands' very different styles can be easily reconciled – the only reason they're cramped into one review is that both CDs are perfect examples of how Top 40 should sound. Motorpsycho hail from Norway and they've been around for quite some time – this should be their 4th or 5th album, I believe. I had only heard a couple of songs by them prior to this album and eliminated them as another Black Sabbath/Mudhoney/Helmet wannabes, but... The first time I listened to the "Angels..." CD was the day after a pot binge, when I was feeling very relaxed and in want of a good soundtrack to suit the mood, which they certainly provided. Since then, I've tried pursuing some other people to get into them, but to no avail. It seems nobody digs this except for me – didn't even see any reviews so far. Don't know why, as this is contemporary commercial psychedelia at its best. I mean, Motorpsycho could easily piss all over the Chemical Brothers and other so-called psychedelic bands. The entire 60 minute-length CD is jam-packed with beautiful mesmerising sounds, ranging from pop songs to the tunes when they just let the tape roll and muck around a riff or three (as on the 13+ minutes long epic "Un Chien d'espace"). Motorpsycho aren't ashamed of showing their influences, but there's much more here than just them playing their record collections. The arrangements have to be heard to be believed, and my only concern is how they do it live. Especially since they should be coming this way very soon, unless Perth misses out again. This CD comes with a bonus album "Blissard", which is not as good as "Angels...", and therefore doesn't get as many kicks on my stereo.

[ Pray TV have probably started around the same time as Motorpsycho and, same as them, never achieved any big commercial success. A couple of years ago they were signed by some American major and even played several gigs there, but the deal went through quickly. "Westona", their latest release, is the first album I listened to fully, so I can't compare it with the old ones, but I guess they're pretty similar. It's straight ahead pop we're talking about here and Pray TV does it best in Australia at the moment. Not that I'm too keen on the whole Aussie pop thing, but the fact is that we're doing it better than the rest of the world, thanks to the bands like Pray TV and Fizzleheads (by the way, what's up with them?). You want some beautiful casual music? Buy yourself some happiness in the form of "Westona"! It is disappointing that Triple J picked up not one of the songs off this album, while some of the crappiest bands like Mr Blonde, Even and You Am I are being flogged to death on the airwaves. This CD comes with seven bonus tracks of the band playing with some four track reel to reel and producing some amazing tape loops. ]

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[record reviews: aadap]
	Motorpsycho – "Angels And Daemons At Play" CD Review of AADAP taken from the Australian fanzine UZURLIKZURLI #3 / February 1998. English. Found at the uzurlikzurli site. MOTORPSYCHO – "ANGELS AND DAEMONS AT PLAY" CD PRAY TV – "WESTONA" CD (Shock Records) Don't be under an impression that these two bands' very different styles can be easily reconciled – the only reason they're cramped into one review is that both CDs are perfect examples of how Top 40 should sound. Motorpsycho hail from Norway and they've been around for quite some time – this should be their 4th or 5th album, I believe. I had only heard a couple of songs by them prior to this album and eliminated them as another Black Sabbath/Mudhoney/Helmet wannabes, but... The first time I listened to the "Angels..." CD was the day after a pot binge, when I was feeling very relaxed and in want of a good soundtrack to suit the mood, which they certainly provided. Since then, I've tried pursuing some other people to get into them, but to no avail. It seems nobody digs this except for me – didn't even see any reviews so far. Don't know why, as this is contemporary commercial psychedelia at its best. I mean, Motorpsycho could easily piss all over the Chemical Brothers and other so-called psychedelic bands. The entire 60 minute-length CD is jam-packed with beautiful mesmerising sounds, ranging from pop songs to the tunes when they just let the tape roll and muck around a riff or three (as on the 13+ minutes long epic "Un Chien d'espace"). Motorpsycho aren't ashamed of showing their influences, but there's much more here than just them playing their record collections. The arrangements have to be heard to be believed, and my only concern is how they do it live. Especially since they should be coming this way very soon, unless Perth misses out again. This CD comes with a bonus album "Blissard", which is not as good as "Angels...", and therefore doesn't get as many kicks on my stereo. [ Pray TV have probably started around the same time as Motorpsycho and, same as them, never achieved any big commercial success. A couple of years ago they were signed by some American major and even played several gigs there, but the deal went through quickly. "Westona", their latest release, is the first album I listened to fully, so I can't compare it with the old ones, but I guess they're pretty similar. It's straight ahead pop we're talking about here and Pray TV does it best in Australia at the moment. Not that I'm too keen on the whole Aussie pop thing, but the fact is that we're doing it better than the rest of the world, thanks to the bands like Pray TV and Fizzleheads (by the way, what's up with them?). You want some beautiful casual music? Buy yourself some happiness in the form of "Westona"! It is disappointing that Triple J picked up not one of the songs off this album, while some of the crappiest bands like Mr Blonde, Even and You Am I are being flogged to death on the airwaves. This CD comes with seven bonus tracks of the band playing with some four track reel to reel and producing some amazing tape loops. ] Predrag Delibasich Back to the Record Reviews page...