I’ll admit to having been a little hesitant about this album. I’ve nothing against ‘acclaimed Russian indie acts’, but the fact that Jacob Graham of The Drums – a band I really can’t abide – has been hyping them is rather offputting. It’s worth putting prejudice aside, though, because Motorama’s second album, ‘Calendar’ is seriously good. There’s a lightness of touch and an accessible – if not exactly poppy – edge to the songs on ‘Calendar’. There’s also an urgency and dark currents that counter the dreamy interweaving guitars that conjure a wistful vibe that permeates the music.
The title track brings together evocations of the early incarnations of Interpol and Editors, partly because of the music and the layered approach to the guitars, but also because of Vladislav Parshin’s vocals, which have something of a Paul Banks twang about them.
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There’s a bleak romance to many of the lyrics ‘Press your knife into my heart… hold your breath and die with me’ – Two Stones – and yes, there’s a touch on Joy Division about the track, a high-racked bass tapping out over a spindly guitar.
‘In Your Arms’ is perhaps closer to latter day Interpol, its brittle guitars needling around a crisp, airy drum sound, but to put the comparisons aside for a moment, it must be said that ‘Calendar’ stands up in its own right, and while Motorama clearly belong to a very specific musical lineage, they do bring something new – and what’s more, they do what they do well.
Motorama Online
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