The Motorpool - after the sugar rush

The Motorpool

After The Sugar RushBattenburg Records; 2013

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Hailing from South London, UK, folk-rockers The Motorpool is a hard working band that like to take matters into their own hands, self-releasing their brand new album After The Sugar Rush under their own independent record label, Battenburg Records, and touring extensively all around the world. The Motorpool sets out to deliver a really emotionally honest album with After The Sugar Rush, focusing on the ever-inspiring theme of love and relationships.  The flow of the album is always set in a well-balanced compromise between heartfelt ballad and brighter tunes with a pop rock feel, keeping many elements as a watermark of the band's sound throughout the record. The crisp acoustic rhythm guitars are definitely acting as the skins and bones of this record, along with fitting lead lines and a lot of melody on the side.

The opener,  "Trying to Revive The Dead," is perhaps one of the darkest songs on the records, with its 80s feel that blinks an eye to The Smiths, while the more upbeat "Ghost" and "Not Used to Being Alone" have a sound that could fit really well on an American alt folk rock record, that type of music made famous by bands such as R.E.M. This band showcases a lot of versatility on this record, but perhaps they feel more in their comfort zone when facing more mellow moments, such as "Waiting for The Storm To Break" and "She Haunts Me.” The album closes with with one of the best songs on the album entitled called "All the Stress Gets Passed Around" which starts with a gorgeous piano melody before giving way to a catchy guitar riff that when combines with the organ is simple splendid. The chorus is very catchy as the lead singer sings "Keeps on coming, it keeps on going, till you turn it around". After listening to the album a couple of times I was very impressed with the ebb and flow of the album . It sounded more natural with each spin and felt like they put in a good amount of time into the sequencing of the tracks.

The Motorpool is capable of creating fascinating melodic textures, as well as melodies that get stuck into your head really easily. After The Sugar Rush is a collection of 10 accomplished songs that portray a band that is mature enough to deal with their feelings and with their growth, but young enough to do it in a creative and exciting way, so that any listener could relate to it.

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