Many Nights
Talitres, 2018
9/10
The Russian outfit Motorama offer an impressive 5th album here, where their goth, pop, punk and New Wave formula uses minimal instruments and straight forward melodies and grooves to make a big impression on Many Nights.
“Second Part” starts the listen with plenty of atmosphere as warm guitars and smooth vocals hint at both post-punk and New Wave ideas, and “Kissing The Ground” follows with a playful beat as modern indie-pop unfolds with both a stylish and melodic approach.
Close to the middle, “Voice From The Choir” finds a dreamy place to reside where an abrupt shift into jangly alt-rock highlights the setting well, while “No More Time” shimmers with a throbbing bass amid ‘80s nods to legends like New Order. “He Will Disappear”, a particularly noteworthy tune, then bridges pop and New Wave with an extremely inviting quality.
Deeper still, “You & The Others” cultivates a darker territory that runs parallel to names like Joy Division, and “Devoid Of Color” exits the listen with acoustic guitar and bright synth working together in exciting, memorable ways.
Often resembling UK bands from the punk scene in the early ‘80s, Motorama are also well versed in modern indie-rock sensibilities, and their versatile delivery is certainly matched by their strong songwriting prowess on this fantastic record.
Travels well with: We Were Promised Jetpacks- Unravelling; Ritual Howls- Their Body