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.