The last chance I almost had to see Motorpsycho was twelve years ago, in June 2008. That’s also the last time they were in the States, recording Child Of The Future (2009) with Steve Albini. They played at the Empty Bottle, but I was out of town. I imagine the show at the small bar with a maximum capacity of 300 wasn’t even sold out. Because Americans just don’t know this band from Trondheim, Norway, despite the fact that they’d been together for two decades at that point, and were already stars in Europe who could headline festival crowds of thousands. Their third double album, Black Hole/Blank Canvas (2006) was considered by many psychonauts (as their fans are known as) as their best, and one of the best of the 00s. And yet, while most bands that have been around that long are well into the stage of decline or at least stagnation, Motorpsycho would just keep getting better. They never came back to North America, because they’re doing just fine in Europe.
Rather than sap their energy crossing the desolate American landscape playing to audiences a fraction of the size they’re used to, they instead kept up an incredibly prolific pace, producing 24 studio albums, over 46 hours worth of original music. Possibly their most ambitious work was a collaboration with Ståle Storløkken, Ola Kvernberg, Trondheimsolistene, and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra with the appropriately unwieldy title, The Death Defying Unicorn: A Fanciful And Fairly Far-Out Musical Fable (Rune Grammafon, 2012). It seems not so much has been written about it, perhaps because the ambitious fusion of a literary folk tale with classical and jazz and (of course) the double album length of 83:50 was too daunting for writers more comfortable in the heavy psych prog world to tackle. Myself included — every listen left me unable to critique, but merely left with jaw slack in awe and wonder.
Yet Bent Sæther, Hans Magnus “Snah” Ryan, and Tomas Järmyr outdid themselves again, just, with The Tower (2017), their fifth double album. It wasn’t as experimental as Death Defying Unicorn, but rather a perfect summary of their accomplishments so far. Now here we are with their sixth double, which concludes an unofficial Gullvåg trilogy, tied loosely together by their use of artist Håkon Gullvåg for all three album covers, including last year’s three-track, relatively concise 40 minute The Crucible. Now on their latest, nestled in the center of the album is the five part, 42 minute suite “N.O.X.,” where they reunite with violinist Ola Kvernberg of Steamdome and Lars Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist. Described as a “piece for ballet inspired by paintings, alchemy and the tarot,” it was based on a performance at last year’s St. Olav Festival, fine tuned and recorded in the type of cold desolation one only finds in western coastal Norway in November, at Ocean Sound Studio.
While it might be their most ambitious, challenging piece, a fusion of avant garde and modern classical anchored as always in a base DNA of psychedelic rock infused with jazz prog, it’s also extremely listenable. “II: Ouroboros (Strange Loop)” recalls the chilly, cyclical beauty of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, but more subtle and sophisticated, while “IV: Night Of Pan” gradually turns the screws on the repetitive tension with an intense crescendo laced with space rock synth effects. There is indeed a distinct sense of unique movement throughout, much like another famous crossover piece written for ballet, Charles Mingus’ The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (1963). Incredible.
The other half of the album that bookends the suite finds Motorpsycho also at the top of their game, with most of the sessions recorded at Black Box Studio in the much more hospitable climate of France in September with longtime collaborator Reine Fiske (Dungen, The Amazing, Fire! Orchestra). The 8:50 title track is an appropriately dramatic opener with loud guitars and mellotron. “The Same Old Rock (One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy)” are top notch rockers, while “Delusion (The Reign Of Humbug)” lets the engines cool with some delicate acoustic guitar and soft vocals along the lines of some of their psych pop from the early 00s.
After the mind-blowing performance of the “N.O.X.” suite, they return to acoustic, this time with lovely Nick Drake-inspired instrumental picking on “A Little Light.” That is, until an ominous synth announces the apparent descent of a UFO. This leads into “Dreams Of Fancy,” which starts light enough with acoustic tinged psych pop, but gradually gets heavier, expanding into an epic jam that’s the album’s second longest track at 9:36. “The Dowser” is a surprising switch to a softly strummed electric with the juice turned down, a ballad that reminds me of 90s era Elliott Smith. “Like Chrome” tops off the album in a celebratory mood with uplifting choruses and a soaring guitar solo.
After 31 years, Americans are unlikely to be converted to psychonauts to the extent and numbers as, say, Tool’s audience, and Motorpsycho don’t give a flying, flaming fart. There may be no major label PR machine in place to feed this music to critics this side of the pond with a widdle baby spoon, but those bold enough to venture into exploring the sonic equivalent of mountains, fjords and cold seas of Norway will be richly rewarded, while others might drown to death under the weight of music more demanding than they were prepared for. A risk worth taking! | Buy
