Review: Motorik - Klang!

Label: self-released (CD Baby)

Released: April 28, 2009

In the waning days of the first wave of punk, several bands took the groundwork it had laid and mixed it up with a frantic sense of dancability. For lack of a better desciption, we called it post-punk. Three decades later, it seems like everyone wants to "rediscover" Joy Division, the Fall, Pil and their peers. Motorik, despite their name's nod to Krautrock, is one such devotee, but unlike most, they paid close attention, demonstrating a deep understanding of what made the best post-punk bands so good.

Just like those of their mentors, Motorik's songs are driven more by sharp, angular rhythms than by overt melodies. Their agitated beats, a la early Joy Division, stir the music and provide the perfect force for the snearing artiness that dominates the record, though they do occasionally stray into the darker, harder world of Killing Joke. While Klang! struggles to find a reasonably original moment, it is nonetheless very genuine in its homage to the past.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

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