2023-09-18 06:07:16
On October 18, Motor psycho will hit the Usine stage as part of his album presentation tour Yay!
Formed in 1989 in Trondheim, Norway, by Bent Sæther (bass – vocals), Hans Magnus Ryan (guitar) and Kjell Runar Jenssen (drums), Motorpsycho wasted no time in freeing itself from its metal label to develop a cocktail of influences of all kinds. Throughout a discography as abundant as it is eclectic, the group will surprise (and sometimes alienate) its audience by first incorporating the noise ideas of their collaborator and producer Deathprod and then psychedelic influences, art rock, country, jazz, folk, pop… According to Bent Sæther, “the most exciting things tend to happen between definitions”.
Change of direction
After a series of albums oriented towards progressive rock, started in 2017 with The TowerMotorpsycho once again takes a change of direction with Yay! (2023). First album to be released on their new label, The Nordenfjeldske Grammofonselskab, it moves away from the heavy sound of their previous work towards more peaceful lands. If, like the film Motor psycho by Russ Meyer, the group’s last five albums evoked a drunken crossing of the Californian desert on a Harley Davidson, Yay! is more like a bike ride on a spring afternoon.
Driven by acoustic guitars, hand percussion and inspiring vocal harmonies seventies, the titles flirt with the singer-songwriter style à la Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young without ever resolving to drop anchor in those waters. The careful production of Swedes Reine Fiske and Lars Fredrik Swahn adds a welcome psychedelic touch to the sound.
Continuity in the rupture
If there’s something predictable in Motorpsycho’s music, it’s the unpredictable. Their ability to surprise and confuse the listener is a constant of the group. There is also a certain consistency in the Norwegians’ recording production, notably the maturity of the compositions, the coherence of the approach, the effervescence of the ideas and the ability to execute them whatever the style and instrumentation chosen.
On Yay!, all the titles have an acoustic folk-rock flavor. These are soft, short and intimate pieces, with the exception of Hotel Daedalus, which is distinguished by its prog rock side and its almost 8 minutes of duration. This kind of zigzagging jam, loaded with powerful and distorted bass, slide guitar atmospheres and superimposed layers of sound serves as a link between the group’s past and present and ensures continuity in the break.
The blanket of Yay!with its comic bubbles and its question mark juxtaposed with the name of the group, is reminiscent of that of Freak Out of the Mothers of Invention, that of kangaroo of Guru Guru or that of Wowee Zowee of Pavement.
Through his inspired writing, production and performances, Yay! presents a lighter side of Motorpsycho which, without being retro, should delight fans of the group’s beginnings. Their sound and freedom of expression continue to inspire and surprise new generations of musicians.
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Photo credit: Motorpsycho
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