HERE BE MONSTERS

Norway's MOTORPSYCHO have been at it for over 25 years and have released a ton of music over that period. They also have changed the style of music they make many times over those years, but the last three studio albums have been similar with that strong Psyche/ Rock flavour and man have they made a fan of me in doing so. It was actually that ambitious concept album "The Death Defying Unicorn" that won me over back in 2012. Lets put it this way, "The Death Defying Unicorn", Still Life With Eggplant" and "Behind The Sun" all ended up in my top five for those three years. "Here Be Monsters" while still the same style as the previous two has more of a Psych vibe and less of a "Rock" one, in other words it's more laid back overall by a significant amount and it will probably be well out of my top ten this year even though it's still a very enjoyable album.

There seems to be a theme with this album and it's about people's fears, or the perceived monsters they have to deal with. It seems to deal with children rather than adults for the most part. "Sleepwalking" is around a minute of piano melodies. "Lacuna/ Sunrise" is a song about a person who is losing their mind and it's divided into two parts. It's slow paced with acoustic guitar before it turns fuller with a beat and bass. It picks up a notch before 1 1/2 minutes then reserved vocals join in after 2 minutes in a hazy soundscape. We get a prolonged instrumental break from after 4 1/2 minutes to after 8 minutes and I really like the guitar late in this section. Vocals are back after 8 minutes. "Running With Scissors" is one of my favs and an instrumental. I just really like that repetitive guitar melody and also when it veers off into different directions. Another hazy sounding tune and check out the relaxed guitar after 3 1/2 minutes. I love the mood here plus we get some flute.

"I.M.S." stands for "Inner Mounting Shame" apparently. Piano to start as a second piano joins in but off-set. Some power a minute in as the electric guitar starts to light it up as the drums and the bass build. Vocals before 2 1/2 minutes as they let it rip instrumentally. Love the guitar here. It settles right down then kicks in hard after 5 1/2 minutes right to the end. Great track! "Spin, Spin, Spin" is a H.P. LOVECRAFT cover. Not one of my favs but it's pretty good. Strummed guitar and electric guitar as the vocals come in singing "Spin, spin, spin my little darling". A beat with bass joins in then we get a nice instrumental section after 3 minutes to the end.

"Sleepwalking Again" is more of those piano melodies. "Big Black Dog" is the epic here and my favourite at almost 18 minutes in length. Picked acoustic guitar to start as soft vocals join in. Eventually some backing vocals and atmosphere arrive. A change after 4 minutes as it turns heavier then the vocals return but with more passion this time. We get some mellotron around 8 minutes. It's even more intense 9 1/2 minutes in but then we get a sudden calm before 11 1/2 minutes as intricate guitar takes over. Keys join in then more mellotron as it starts to slowly build until that familiar melody returns after 14 1/2 minutes. Another calm before 16 minutes as we get the intro reprised then those soft vocals return as it stays mellow to the end.

This just doesn't click with me like "Still Life With Eggplant" or "Behind The Sun" but this is a very solid album, I just feel it has moments that I'm not sold on.

I feel like it is high time to have a newer Motorpsycho sound, one that kept up with their psych prog flows whilst also doing something different. As a result from a commissioned concert at Teknsik Museum, the music that was performed offered the band a lead way into new possibilities for their sound. As a result, going through producer changes, and going through several influences of Mike Oldfield, Mogwai, and even the odd Grateful Dead and Porcupine Tree, Here Be Monsters was born, and so my second favorite album Motorpsycho composed.

I think what strikes this album as being one of my favorites is just how more methodical the band plays these songs. These jams are more slow, precise, and take their punches in different directions. The big moments on this record are a bit more subtle, but I feel like subtleness this album is played at not only creates for an interesting experience, but also a very vibrant one at that as well. Tracks like Lacuna / Sunrise, Running With Scissors, and the cover for Spin, Spin, Spin by the English psych folk band H.P. Lovecraft creates more melodic jams that are still filled with energy, though the energy is more reserved throughout the course of the entire album. The exception to this is I.M.S. which is this energy, almost Thee Oh See or King Gizz flavored jam session with lots of unique distortions that I really enjoy. I think the wound up for I.M.S. with those more methodical songs from before helps create this very unique experience for Motorpsycho, wanting to tease the listener with tracks that take their time more than ever. I also really like how the group covered Spin, Spin, Spin as, while I am not the biggest fan of covers, I think this works immensely well as it is a great opener for the second half of the album, making this more folky song into a very vibrant and heavy hitting track that still plays into the album's methodical nature, which I really enjoy.

This is also one of the Motorpsycho albums to have a seriously amazing prog rock epic in the form of Big Black Dog. I think Big Black Dog holds the same candle to The Wheel from Timothy's Monster, being this song that slowly builds up to a more heavy hitting, and quite intimidating part. Unlike The Wheel, Big Black Dog truly experiments with the long 17 minute run time, fully crafting this powerful, and highly progressive sound, almost dipping slightly in post rock territories near the end. While the first few songs (not including Sleepwalking and Sleepwalking Again since they are practically just preludes) were amazing, I think Big Black Dog holds some of the best music Motorpsycho has put out there, and thus makes the album a masterpiece in my opinion.

A different, but still highly great album from Motorpsycho. The more disciplined jams are quite interesting, but hold a candle in terms of amazing Motorpsycho works, almost rivaling that of Still Life With Eggplant. Truly a masterful album for the ages, and one that I doubt will fall out of my heart anytime soon.

The Norwegian prog chameleons are back with another contribution to the psychedelic rock form (of original music) that they've been working within for the past several albums.

1. "Sleepwalking" (0:57) little piano étude.

2. "Lacuna/Sunrise" (9:46) gentle, gorgeous HAROLD BUDD-like guitar chords coming from two guitars. Bass and drums join in, maintaining the cool, calm demeanor opened with--even when expanded with more guitars (electric, distorted and soloing) and broader spectrum drum play. In the second go round Bent and Hans join in with some nice, gentle vocals. Nicely melodic in a NEIL YOUNG kind of way. The chorus section sounds and feels more like something from THE EAGLES, but the return to the wonderful main motif is immensely comforting. At 5:25 there is a slight scale back into a kind of perpetual STEELY DAN bridge within which a very STEPHEN STILLS-like guitar volunteers quite a wonderful, melodic and sensitive solo--which, in the eighth minute, turns more aggessive--more HENDRIX/ROBBY KRIEGER-like. In the ninth minute we return to the vocal chorus motif for an extended EAGLES-like finish. A mostly beautiful, brilliant song from three of 21st Century rock's premier songsters. Probably my favorite song on the album. (18.75/20)

3. "Running With Scissors" (5:39) strummed 12-string guitars with electric guitar sneakily worked into the mix. Cymbal play slowly turns into full drumming in the second minute. The unusually long instrumental song has a distinctive JESSE COLIN YOUNG/YOUNGBLOODS feel to its sound palette. (8.66667/10)

4. "I. M. S." (7:05) opens with what feels like more piano étude, but then CSN&Y electric guitars, bass and drums begin to join in at the one-minute mark. Very, very CSN&Y-like with some definitely Neil Young-bordering-on-Stephen Stills electric guitar soloing. At 2:20 group harmony/choral vocals enter as the song flies along, soloing guitar cutting back in while the singers are still singing. He's on fire--and his guitar is not very treated: mostly just electrified guitar. The vocals sound very much as if they could have come off of the Death Defying Unicorn album. Around 4:35 the rock portion of the weave cuts out leaving the foundational piano chord progression to entertain us--until the electric guitar joins in for a bit. At 5:52 the full band kicks right back in, jamming with full spectrum sound as if nothing had interrupted their groove. Pretty cool--until the chaotic quick finish. (13.25/15)

5. "Spin, Spin, Spin" (4:07) electric guitar, strummed acoustic guitar, and harmony vocals again remind the listener of the great folk-infused psychedelic blues-rock of the late 1960s--and not just CSN&Y or THE BYRDS but many other lesser known and obscure bands. I love the eclectic feel of this. So many bands come to mind! And what a great, rock solid rhythm track from the bass, drums, keys, and rhythm guitars: everyone is in perfect synchronization! Another favorite. (9.333333/10)

6. "Sleepwalking" (0:56) more piano étude.

7. "Big Black Dog" (17:42) Quite contemplative, dreamy opening four minutes is followed by a quite typical MOTORPSYCHO up-ramp. Then the vocals re-enter in the band's group "screamed" chorus/harmony style. The chord progression here is so much like THE CARS "Moving in Stereo" (which I'm sure is no intention of Bent & company). Two heavily-treated squrealing electric guitars duel until 11:30 when things drop down to an ominous calm within the storm. This motif then slowly builds with percussion and squrealing synth-guitar returning to lead the way to a rather unsatisfactory crescendo around 11:40 followed by an immediate return to the "Moving in Stereo" motif for some Mellotron display. Things stop at 15:45 for a return to the opening gentle guitar weave motif and some beautiful, gentle, harmonized vocals. (31/35)

Total Time: 46:12

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you love jamming to those long, soothing psychedelic grooves.