MOTORPSYCHO PRESENTS THE INTERNATIONAL TUSSLER SOCIETY

By technicality, this is not a Motorpsycho album but rather The International Tussler Society album, but make no mistake, this album is 100% the same Motorpsycho that created Timothy's Monster or Phanerothyme. This album came about as a sequel to their original soundtrack for the 1994 film of The Tussler. Unlike their first strokes in the whole country genre, this album would turn out a lot more baked in the oven prior, and thus after 10 years later, the band managed to not only refine their old country blues sound from The Tussler, but also get way more creative in their output.

If you want to compare the original Tussler to The International Tussler Society, you get the textbook example of comparing a rice grain to a full sized meal. This album honestly improves so much on The Tussler's original sound that for me this is the definitive country album Motorpsycho has written. My problems with The Tussler was that it wasn't as ambitious with its display of sound, and that the re-recordings of older tracks from Demon Box. Safe to say that Motorpsycho definitely stretched their reach more on this output.

Creatively, we get some stellar original alt country tracks that feel like the band harnessing their old energy from the 90s. I always liked when bands look back on their sounds for a release to move forward, and I think this album really does show off what made Motorpsycho themselves in the 90s. These songs are jamming, ambitious, and really fun, so much so that even if you don't like the country, you can still probably get enjoyment out of this release.

I must say though that this album was kinda hard to really get into since I do not like country music all that much, but I do admit with a gradual listening experience I soon found some fondness for the album, especially tracks like Satan's Favorite Song and September. Though, some tracks don't hit as hard. Back in your Bed, Laila Lou, and Cassie (Call on Me) just never really popped out for me, and not to say they are bad but those tracks just never got the same amount of excitement for me as other tracks. It is a fairly dense album, so it wouldn't be too surprising to find a few duds in an otherwise good album.

Motorpsycho didn't just present, they gave this album its own theater. This album showcases what The Tussler should've been, a clear, zealous album with its own original songs and a cool flavor of alternative rock and alternative country, creating this sense of nostalgia for the 90s days of the band's career. It is an admirable piece of art that showcases the wild west in all its glory.