The Motet's new self-titled release is their seventh full length album, and after spanning almost two decades of refining, this work classifies the group's essential sound. It is the epitome of what The Motet aim for, a big band sound, as the group boasts seven musicians with additional instrumentation support, and at times the kernel of the work can come across as a consistent musical deja-vu. Let me clarify--none of the tracks on The Motet are boring in theory, they maintain a crisp, upbeat, ebullient sound, but the repetition of this phrasing dulls out the excitement between each transition.
All but two songs on the album feature vocalists Ericka Warren, Leisa Hart, with back-up by Jarron Lawson and Paul Creighton, and this gives the record a northern-soul and laid-back R&B vibe that contrasts their previous work that is more focused on electronic layering. "123" is a gospel hymn, howling, hooting synths breakdown the lead-in as the vocalists croon, "I can tell how you party all the time, you're from that Colorado place" and for most of the track they chant "123, everybody you and me." Now I'm all for cheering, I've done the YMCA. Here the shouting blends together and I feel like I'm back in middle school again sadly waving my arms back and forth. Similar to "123" is "Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed," which carries a tight pace. The lyrics are focused on a type of maternal instruction that gives a stronger characteristic to the phrasing. "Mama said all the best things in life are free."
"Extraordinary High" holds one of the best lines in the album, with its disco-vibey, dreamy synths. "She's a lover, astro hoodlum, tagging the sky..." There's the original poetic quality that's needed. The Univox strings give a mood, sassy vibe. The two songs on the album without vocals are "Rynodub," easily the strongest composition, and "The Fountain." "Rynodub" starts with a space gun crescendo, heavy on bass, and the beat matches the one of the Super Mario Bros. theme. It's more reminiscent of a spacier, overdubbed, reggae sound, ending in a Santana-esque guitar solo. "The Fountain" uses floating, layered, ethereal synths to begin the track that are quickly put off by a heavy, swirling bass line and cyclical instrumentation. Compared to their previous Eps, this is the kernel of the bunch. When listening to The Motet you'll gather an understanding of their sound, but I'd head to the previous album and Dig Deep.
Grade: C
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