Motorik

Klang!

Self Released 2009

This sound of this Seattle trio has a lot in common with fellow Washingtonians, Sleater Kinney.  Also I hear some Souxisie and the Banshees circa The Scream.  Mechanized sounding beats and quirky bass lines form the foundation for most tracks on Klang!  Box of Knives reminds me of Sleater Kinney material from the Dig Me Out era but Motorik are more authoritative and commanding in their approach lacking any of the vulnerability found on Sleater Kinney's material.  On Robert Palmer has a an almost uplifting melody that carries the song during the chorus.  Sio belts out commanding vocal lines.  Whereas on It's Just Sugar the song structure is stark and minimalist with a humming bass line and mildly tormented vocals comprising most of the song.  Like a robotic entity becoming aware and stumbling on newly activated limbs, Motorik marches to a cybernetic beat with throbbing bass line humming with life.  Another band I see shadows of filtering through Motorik's compositions is Voivod.  In a way that is reminiscent of Sleater Kinney's One Beat, the album closes out with Six Filters.  This song however moves at an accelerated pace and grasps at a melody that brings to mind an eastern flavor.  If you thought a mixture of Sleater Kinney and Souxsie and the Banshees would be a marriage of power and beauty then Motorik proves you correct.  Klang is an album that unites a first wave post-punk feel and controlled awkwardness and builds them into an automaton of gothic pop-rock splendor.