LET THEM EAT CAKE

Hats of to Motorpsycho for trying something entirely different with each new album. After ending their heavy rock period with the superb 'Trust Us', they didn't try to cash in on its success but instead teamed up with a whole orchestra of violins and horns to bring us an album filled with jazzy psych pop that fans of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake shouldn't miss.

Apart from the 60's inspired songwriting and lust arrangements, also the cleaner vocals are noteworthy, featuring more contributions from guitarist Hans Magnus Ryan's soft and tender voice. But also Bent Saether holds back his grittier side and indulges voluntarily in Beatles alike harmonies and pleasant melodies. My favorites of the album are the moody 'Stained Glass' which reminds me of Ryan Adams (no not Bryan), and the experimental '3030'.

I believe each Motorpsycho album must be met on its own terms and appreciated for what it tries to bring, it's a trait I appreciate in many of my favorite bands and it also lifts Motorpsycho output to a higher level for me. This one may suit my taste less then the previous album but it's certainly not inferior in terms of quality. Not a Prog album but sure one that might interest fans of psych-tinged pop with an experimental edge.

The turn of a new century marked a new change in Motorpsycho's approach to music. As with every new release of this band, they try a variety of things like new sounds or new approaches in how they want to craft their albums. With this new release, the band was trying to capture a wider audience in their grasp, while still retaining their very psychedelic, and now more progressive flavors of sound. This obviously makes this record their quote on quote "pop" album, but Motorpsycho's pop is not necessarily gonna be as accessible as Yes' or Genesis' pop.

Let Them Eat Cake is a smaller album, not one of their big hour long monuments. It is 45 minutes long and contains 9, 3-6 minute tracks that all feature different approaches to a more pop sound, while keeping up with the band's image. I think this is actually one of the band's strongest albums as a whole. It is not a complete masterpiece by any means, but I find this to be an album that, no matter my mood, or my feelings, I find to be one of the band's most consistent and concrete albums. There are no bad songs on this album, and in fact I think they might be the band's most stable efforts.

The sound found here is very reminiscent of early 70s Prog Rock. I am getting flavors of Gentle Giant and King Crimson within the violins, and some more jazzy elements that groups like Weather Report included in their sound, but in a more Motorpsychoesque aura that is a lot more jammy and rocking. I really enjoy this sort of direction the band is taking, sort of homaging this classic era of Prog music while still keeping up with their sound. You also get some psychedelic pop/rock elements from songs like Big Surprise and Never Let You Out, heck Never Let You Out has a little bit at the start that sounds kinda like a Syd Barrett song. This homage really does let this album grab a hold of me, and most likely newer, more younger fans of Motorpsycho. When people say this is their pop record, I see it more as less of a pop sounding album and more of an album that resonates with pop culture. Obviously Prog is an alternative genre, though that said it is still really highly popular in pop culture. I mean it is a given, bands like Pink Floyd are extremely popular, and around this time TOOL was also going up in popularity and charts, especially since one year after this record was released they'd create Lateralus, which we all know is extremely popular, even to non Progheads.

To me, this album is Motorpsycho's take on the retro Prog scene that The Flower Kings, Echolyn, and Änglagård were experimenting with, and I am all for it. Motorpsycho creating a more contemporary, and jammy approach to that type of sound really does let the music bend and shape to their heart's content.

If I do have to say one issue this album has, it's probably really only the last track of 30/30. It isn't a bad song per say, but I feel as though it could've been a way better ending for this album to take. It kinda makes this album end with a sour whimper than a sweet bang, and when you call your album something related to a sweet dessert and a quote from a monarch, it is a little bad on your part to end the album off with something a bit lackluster.

If I had one word to describe this album, it'd be concrete. It is a very solid record that really has no bad parts aside from the last track, and even then it never sours the experience to where it ruins the album. If you really like the classic 70s sound of Prog and more jammy music, then this album is one that is a must listen, and I think also one that can be a serviceable introduction to the band's forefront. It is an album that shows that Motorpsycho was a lot more progressive than some may think, even in a more pop context.

Yet another stylistic shift with the ever-adventurous musical trio, their eighth studio album release--here trying to imitate many of the late 1960s' psych rock masters.

1. "The Other Fool" (5:40) excellent BEATLES-like song with key orchestral components. (9/10)

2. "Upstairs-Downstairs" (5:12) horns with lazily-strummed acoustic guitars open this one with a long (110-second) intro. When the vocals arrive (really far forward in the mix), I'm quite reminded of the music of COLIN MOULDING and ANDY PARTRIDGE (XTC). (8.875/10)

3. "Big Surprise" (3:36) cute little BEACH BOYS-like song about a breakup. Builds into full band at the one-minute mark with a little more added at the two-minute mark before slowly deconstructing for the final 45 seconds. (8.66667/10)

4. "Walkin' with J." (3:59) horns and meaty opening gives the song a bit of a HENDRIX (bass line)/DENNY LAINE-WINGS combo feel. Great, fun chorus. (8.75/10)

5. "Never Let You Out" (2:46) quirky like a late 1960s Brit psych pop song (not quite The Beatles; more like The Buggles). I very much like the instrumental palette. (8.75/10)

6. "Whip That Ghost (Song for a Bro')" (6:30) shades of future Motorpsycho: a nice instrumental jam song overtly styled after the famous Allman Brothers song "Whipping Post" with a very enjoyable ALLMAN BROTHERS-like guitar sound and style. (8.75/10)

7. "Stained Glass" (6:12) though definitely having a familiar sound and feel to it, I cannot pick up the band or song that this might be imitating (perhaps John Martyn, Richard Thompson, or more Allman Brothers), but it turns out that it accomplishes much as a lovely, delicate little rural folk rock song. (8.875/10)

8. "My Best Friend" (4:21) a nice song on the mellower side of Indie-Folk Rock that sounds kind of like a cross between Scotland's STEALERS WHEEL and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS. I like the calm, almost soporific vocal performance as well as the blues-rock piano beneath it all. (8.75/10)

9. "30/30" (7:21) this one sounds quite a bit like something RADIOHEAD might do with its very creative use of orchestral instruments and synths to create the rather-chamber/classically arranged musical tapestry. (13.375/15)

Total Time: 45:37

Great sound recording and engineering certainly help these mostly-imitative songs please the listeners' ears. Innocuous and pleasant if not presenting anything too ground-breaking.

B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.