Review: Motherdust -1500

I've long been an admirer of Motherdust since I stumbled across their Bandcamp page a couple of years ago. They are a German band who play some of the most amazing space/krautrock around. They have been primarily been an 'internet' band, with no physical releases, a fact that always surprised and, if I'm honest, dismayed me but luckily the admirable Clostridium Records have rectified that by giving them a well deserved vinyl release. '1500' was actually recorded back in 2014 and did have a limited CD release - if there is any justice whatsoever in this world then this release will give the band the greater exposure they deserve.

'Quarantine' is a delicious amalgam of dirty blues and spacerock but the first thing that grabs you are the vocals (courtesy of Stefan Popovic)...deep, whisky-sodden and gritty, very much in the style of Tom Waits - they add a distinct noirish aspect to a track that is already dripping in the blues. The guitar, when allowed to run riot, is cosmic; soaring and tumbling through the air...you can begin to see why the band themselves describe their music as "outrageous bloody guitar freak-outs by modern day krautrockers". A fine start to say the very least. 'Mind The Gap' runs with the blues theme and even has some harmonica for that extra authenticity. The chugging intro and more world weary vocals set the scene for some searing guitarwork via the twin guitar attack of Kay Grossman and Christoph Kroger while the rhythm section of Igor Popovic (drums) and Thomas Pflug (bass) add a decidedly krautrock framework around which to work. 'The Prisoner' is heralded by a Sabbathesque intro before it evolves into an almost traditional heavy blues number. The guitar is the star, this time forsaking the spacey approach for a straight up blues style and it really shows how good these guys are. 'Shadows' starts drenched in reverb and sounds, again, very noirish but things soon spread out to form another blues tinged spacerock number. The vocals sound even more gritty and give the track a menacing feel which is matched by the rise and fall of the guitar. This is the longest track on the album and probably my favourite - deep, down and dirty. 'Coded Messages' is a monster of a track...building inexorably in tempo and pure momentum like a locomotive gathering pace. Driven by the bass, this instrumental spacerock leviathan takes no prisoners and the addition of distortion and effects adds to the sheer size. Things start to breakdown before the end, more effects and stabs of guitar punctuate the clockwork drums before things draw to a discordant ending. 'Same Old Thing' revisits the bluesy approach and is another mid-tempo rocker with those now familiar smoky vocals - indeed the Tom Waits comparison is here more than ever obvious. The guitar lays down some real blues over some accompanying riffs and the harmonica just about seals the deal.

'1500' is a monster of an album, the real deal and everything I would have hoped for a Motherdust vinyl release. The vocals were a surprise as a lot of their earlier material is purely instrumental, but they are a revelation - the husky tones of Popovic add an extra dimension and dynamic to the already solid unit. The way they mix blues, spacerock and krautrock is peerless - it all fits together nicely and, when taken as a whole, is a majestic thing to behold. I can see this becoming one of my most played albums this year. It is available from the Clostridium records shop (Limited to 333 numbered copies; 222 x black, 111 x violet-purple-marbled, 180gr + A 2 poster) and it is available as a download from the Motherdust Bandcamp page here (and while you are there I would thoroughly recommend you check out the earlier material - you will not be disappointed!)