TIMOTHY'S MONSTER

'Timothy's Monster' is the 3rd official full length album from that band that you just can't seem to put your finger on, Motorpsycho. Some would call them alternative, some would say psychedelic / stoner rock, some say progressive, they have even tried doing their version of country. With everything they have done, I think Eclectic is a pretty good name for their music. A lot of their albums are really good, and some are lacking. This album is one of the really good ones, but is also one of the hardest to exactly pinpoint because there is a lot of everything on this double album, but, in my opinion, it is all pretty good. If you were going to compare it with anyone, it would probably be The Flaming Lips, original music that is just a bit off kilter and a good amount of variety.

The first CD is mostly alternative, I suppose, but there is also a lot of progressive and psychedelic aspects to it. The band decided to start off the album with a strange pick as 'Feel' is one of the most mellow tracks on here, but it is quite psychedelic. 'Trapdoor' is more alternative as it turns things up a notch, but it is still fairly complex. Then there is the sudden onslaught of the dynamic 'Leave it Like That', which has a more stoner style to it, but again, it's nothing typical. 'A Shrug and a Fistful' goes for a more progressive / alternative sound. Then you move on to a few slightly longer tracks.

'Kill Some Day' and 'On My Pillow' goes straight for the more complex sound, but still add in the psychedelic and heavy sound, also both lasting around 7 minutes each. The vocals are a bit weak, but the guitar, especially in the latter track, is really good with a psychedelic edge to the track. We go back to some more shorter tracks with 'Beautiful Sister' which continues with the unique psych-alternative style. 'Wearing Yr Smell' is a bit heavier with a great riff and bass line. 'Now It's Time to Skate' is a softer sound with an acoustic vibe in the guitar and keys.

Suddenly, a 10+ minute track called 'Giftland' comes along. The track starts as a slow burn with the guitar and drums churning up excitement slowly as vocals help push the track along. After the 2nd verse, flutes and mellotrons amp things up more as tension builds. At 5:30, everything cuts loose as the music suddenly becomes dramatic. Things mellow out a minute later as guitars float around the background music. Drums start building excitement again as the music crescendos to a climactic section. This track just clinches the fact that this band is amazing. Even after this, there is one more track on the first CD called 'Watersound'. This is another acoustic and psychedelic style track with subdued, airy vocals. The sudden explosion of warbling sound is a nice surprise half way through as the sound breaks through.

The 2nd CD only consists of 4 tracks, but two of them are quite long. It starts off with a 16+ minute track called 'The Wheel'. It takes its sweet time building off of a guitar riff with a moderate rhythm, bubbling synths that remain subdued and a passive vocal. It constantly builds until the guitars become more intense pushing the song forward. By 5 minutes, we're at full volume with the drums becoming fuller until they drop out and we're left with a deep fuzzy guitar churning along. The stoner / space rock sound continues to churn forward with continuous vocals, continuing its subtle and psychedelic vocal synth improvisations based around one single chord. Just before 13 minutes, all of the intensity suddenly leaves and we're left with a more ambient psychedelia for a minute, before it all comes back at once.

'Sungravy' is another acoustic track with vocals that later gets joined by strings. The vocals are actually stronger on this track even though it is more of a ballad style. Very nice. 'Grindstone' is instantly heavy and loud with layers of guitars and vocals that are completely full of hormonal, almost growling singing. Stoner's will love this one. After a few minutes, there is a heavy bass melody against a fuzzy drone, and things build back up with feedback and lots more fuzz. Vocals become more frantic again as this electronic feedback / guitar fuzz loop continues to the end. It all gets very chaotic and loud by the end.

Finally, 'The Golden Core' closes out the album with a 13 minute track. After the last extremely noisy track, this one returns to the more subdued feel. The song is not like the last epic track as this one is not as simple as the space jam that was 'The Wheel'. Sounding more like a Eclectic Prog sound with an alternative flair, the music utilizes dynamics in a more complicated way as the music is complex, but also floating along with a nice mellotron sound and a thumping bass line. After the vocal section, there is a long instrumental break that builds off of a long chord progression. Once it reaches one plateau, it actually sounds like post rock even before post rock was a thing as guitars chime around a wall of sound. Vocals actually return during the climatic section making for a surprisingly passionate ending.

This is a great album that showcases Motorpsycho's styles and talent. They have this amazing ability to push their boundaries so that when you hear them, you know who they are, but they can incorporated so many styles to sound so different everytime you hear them. This often works well for them, but there are times across their discography and sometimes within albums, where it doesn't. Overall, however, this is a great recording that for the most part, shows them at their best. It is a strong psychedelic album, but pushes boundaries to the point that you might think twice about that label. Yes it is heavy into alternative sounds at times, but again, they are incorporating their sound into new areas. The album has a lot of versatility throughout though, and it makes it hard for the band to wear out their welcome, even in a long album like this one.