The Death Defying Unicorn

Motorpsycho are incredibly enough not famous in the US.the 90s were their decade.albums like Timothy's monster,Blissardand Trust Us are modern psych rock classics.and nobody knows.this album,TDDU,is from 2012 and it's kind of an artistic comeback.they haven't sounded this inspired throughout the 2000s.I would get the three albums I mentioned before this one.start with Timothy's Monster.play it on repeat a couple of times.you'll get it.but whatever,you can't go wrong with Motorpsycho's 90s albums,you can not go wrongwith this one.for some,some of us are space brains,this album is a little miracle.if you like Sonic Youth,get this.peace.

This album is staggeringly huge, powerful, energetic, and brilliant. I am baffled by how Motorpsycho was able to pull this thing off so late in their career. If you like interesting music of any kind, you must check this album out. This album is a perfect storm of all things I enjoy: free jazz, metal, pink-floyd jams, modern classical, and some good old garage rock. It is really is an amazing piece of music.

For those of you out there that have liked "in a fishtank" combining Motorpsycho's guitars with Jaga Jazzist's brass, this will simply sound as a masterpiece. As for a lot of cross-over on the border of psychedelia, either love it or hate it.

Creative, strange, & melodic. At times rhythmic & sweet & at others, almost alien. Should satisfy any prog lover looking for something a little different. I love this album!

It's been a LOOONG time since a contemporary recording delivered complete satisfaction. I usually have to rely on 25-30 year old (and even much older) recordings and artists to get the adrenalin running through my veins. I am not a Motorpsycho fan and have had a hard time trying to find an equivalent in their quite vast catalog. The Beatles-Beach boys-Floyd styled vocals, the Mahavishnu influenced riffs, the 20th century classical, free Jazz and prog rock overtones, it's all just fantastically well balanced, and it will be hard for even these guys to repeat the feat. Great effort and great listening. Highly recommended!

I'd never heard Motorpsycho about a month ago but now this album is becoming a firm favourite. I can't stop listening to it. The amalgamation of prog-metal and orchestra is seamless, creating a soundtrack to the fantastic story that accompanies the diverse sounds on offer. Don't expect a Deep Purple, Metallica type affair here where normal metal tracks are shoe-horned into orchestrated pieces; this is unforced and natural sounding and completely surreal in a King Crimson style at times. It took a few turns of the stylus to eventually 'get' the album but then it hit me like a steam train. There is a strong bass sound throughout the album which lays a mesmerising groove that gets into your head.This is a very jazzy album meaning this is no easy listen but if you stick with it you'll be heavily rewarded. There are times when the music is atonal (thanks Hemi, other reviewer) but this is the soundtrack nature of the album, laying a feel and an atmosphere. Background music this ain't!

A double concept album from a power trio that can deftly combine heavy metal, jazz and west coast harmonies collaborating with an accomplished jazz-rock musician & arranger, a jazz orchestra and sundry top-flight classical players to produce an epic tale of nautical horror? WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE??! It's like Motorpsycho incepted themselves into my proggiest dreams and then exclaimed, "WOW, let's make an album of THAT!"Everyone involved here has made a fair and equal contribution to what can only be viewed as a significant masterpiece for the band. Occasionally atonal, often heavy, frequently groovesome, The Death Defying Unicorn may seem taxing at times but it's never less than entertaining. And lest you think that hollow world theories and huge sharks seem a tad removed from real world concerns, it also reads well as a coded critique on the assumed right to lead by the 1% and the rebellious stirrings of the 99% ("Your stale old ways bred hate and discordance / Your brutish arrogance has left you powerless"). Last track "Into The Mystic" sweeps all this up into a glorious elegiac yet ultimately redemptive finale that's redolent of classic concept albums such as The Lamb.From Seattle to Luxembourg, it's hard to think of any self-respecting prog fans who wouldn't enjoy this indulgent yet wholly successful conceit tremendously. Album of the year, easily.

A friend let me listen to Motorpsycho & Ståle Storløkken's album 'The Death Defying Unicorn' a few weeks ago and I was blown away by the band's huge achievement in recording such an amazing, complex and accomplished piece of work - I ordered a copy almost immediately. I like progressive music in general and 'prog rock' in particular - so it's a given that 'The Death Defying Unicorn' is both; but it's so much more, with the inclusion of the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra amongst the featured musicians the band and its collaborators have melded a number of styles into a lush landscape of space rock, prog and jazz that engages the listener. The album has been the soundtrack to my life for a month now and I can't recommend it highly enough. It's atonal at times, and sometimes a challenging listen but really worth the effort.

excellent

Das Album wurde völlig zu Recht zum "Album des Jahres" von eclipsed gewählt.Der Besten Stücke sind meines Erachtens Through the Veil, weil bereits der Anfang zu Gänsehaut führt und Into the Mystic, das als kröndender Abschluss eine Art musikalischer Zusammenfassung ist.Dabei sind die Stücke schwer aus ihrem Kontext zu betrachten und insbesondere Into the Mysic wirkt noch besser, wenn man vorher Mutiny im Ohr hatte.