Motion trap - motion trap

Motion Trap

Motion Trap
self-released; 2013

3.9 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Motion Trap is a band that set out to find a perfect balance between the organic feel of the human performance and the high degree of control and flexibility offered by electronic music. Hailing from Colorado, the group is quickly gaining a solid reputation within the local music scene as well as the online community, with a sound that is really hard to categorize. Their eponymous debut self-titled EP Motion Trap takes the epic, embracing and cinematic melodies of post rock (Explosions In The Sky, This Will Destroy You) and blends them with synths and drum machine with a retro flavor.

The first two tracks (“Intro” and “Styrofoam”) are a perfect example of how the two worlds merge together, more aggressively on the first and a little more smoothly and dreamy on the second. "Intro" almost builds as it progresses and feels more organic as it progresses. I really enjoyed how they combined the electric guitars and synths on this song. It seemed like a perfect marriage that post-rock bands never even tried until now. "Styrofoam" starts with with a synth playing octaves and a  rather poppy melody. The sounds only get better as time progresses and the band doesn't hit soaring highs but tend to  find an infectious melody and stick with it. 

Things start to get a different twist with “New Order,” a track where melodies and scenery are more in the background, leaving the beat under the spotlight. Closing number “Hipster Bait” is perhaps one of the most intriguing of these tracks, with his chimerical approach and shape-shifting song structures exploring post rock, dub, reggae and progressive rock; genres that I don’t think I’ve ever heard together within one single track. 

The EP while not fully realized has some very solid ideas that often work. It sometimes also suffers from sounding a bit to much like a home production and feel a bit more energy could have been added to some of the instruments like the drums but besides these minor issues the EP excels. This is only a four-tracks EP, but Motion Trap truly set out to take advantage of every minute, filling it up with unpredictable and pioneering ideas. It is a must for anybody on the lookout for something truly new and in the works.

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