As ever stretching the boundaries of their musical understanding and looking for new ways to express themselves, this is a pretty adventurous album even by Motorpsycho standards. It is easy to hear that both the new environment and the new co-conspirators - very much including new drummer Tomas Järmyr - influenced the band: this sounds nothing like any previous Motorpsycho album! Musically this is in parts the hardest album Motorpsycho has perpetrated in a while, and the material runs the gamut from short and sweet to lengthy and mean - even touching on heavy or stoner rock in places. It certainly is of a rather more explosive nature than most of their last album Here Be Monsters: the sounds are gnarlier and the riffs bigger, and where the last album to some perhaps was a tad too introvert, this album reflects the period it was written and is more concerned with us than me - with changes in society rather than personal issues. These are strange days, and the lyrics reflect this. Surviving yet another change in personnel, Motorpsycho bounces back and shows yet again that the band is bigger than the individual players and that it intends to survive whatever challenges fate throws at it. The Tower, then, is a statement of intent from a band that is very much alive and kicking: this is the start of a new era in the Psychoverse, and the album stands as solid proof that there’s bite in the old dog yet!
The Tower was recorded at White Buffalo in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, with some additional work done back home in Trondheim.
It was mixed by Noah Shain at White Buffalo and mastered Wim Bult at Inlinemastering.
SIDE A
The Tower 8:44
Bartok of the Universe 6:08
A. S. F. E. 6:53
SIDE B
Intrepid Explorer 9:52
Stardust 3:34
In Every Dream Home 8:35
SIDE C
The Maypole 3:39
A Pacific Sonata 15:30
SIDE D
The Cuckoo 7:29
Ship of Fools 14:41