Motorpsycho
Starmelt EP
Stickman

The title track on this vinyl 10" release from the Norwegian fuzz-psych outfit Motorpsycho is culled from their latest full-time release, Angels And Daemons At Play. In addition we get four previously unreleased tracks.

Up Our Sleeves is a riff-based, 70's inspired hard rock tune with more than a nod to Led Zeppelin. Dirty guitars are accompanied by a screaming vocal, sounding much like a distorted Robert Plant. If you clean up this song, you're left with pretty derivative stuff (this is probably a Steve Marriott cover, so there you go.. - editor's note). But left as it is, it's at least kickin'!

Wishing Well is recorded on a four-track and driven by acoustic guitars and monotone stick percussion. The melody reminds me of several other Motorpsycho songs, and the banjo solo makes me think of their "country"-album, The Tussler. Low-key and a little boring.

Flick Of The Wrist is the longest track on this EP, and feature another example of Motorpsycho's brave attempts to give new life to more progressive instrumental constructions. By dragging twin-guitars and bass-lines through a murky swamp, they resurface sounding a little cooler than their 70's counterparts, but for how long? The long guitar solo (Neil Young style) comes as no surprise. Feels like going nowhere.

Instamatic is the last (and shortest) track, and another four-track recording. It is probably recorded late-late or early-early, because it sounds like a stoned lazy Django Reinhardt accompanied by a sleeping Tom Waits. A nice acoustic instrumental. My favorite track.

All in all, this release can only be recommended to the serious Motorpsychopathic completists out there (it's also released as a CD single on Columbia). The rest of us should pass this one by.

Stickman, Maximilianstr.30, 90429 Nurnberg, Germany

Copyright © 1997 Knut Tore Breivik