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No Motiv

Winterlong EP

Written by: PP on 05/07/2012 00:45:47

"Winterlong" EP is the first new material by No Motiv in eight years. For those not in the know, they were one of the longest-running bands on Vagrant Records around the time that Saves The Day and The Get Up Kids released their classic records, yet they never reached similar success despite 1999's "And The Sadness Prevails...", which according to many is one of the most criminally underrated albums of that era. But since most of you probably haven't heard of No Motiv before given their lengthy hiatus, a short introduction is in order: they basically play dark alternative rock with slight punk undertones, similar to the way punk influences the alternative rock of Samiam or Hot Rod Circuit, although this band is more inclined to sound like Foo Fighters (rock songs) meets A Perfect Circle (progressive and dark mood).

The six songs on "Winterlong" belong to an era of music that's been long forgotten, that's why they sound so different to everything else that's being released today. They have a sense of nostalgia to them, a smokescreen of smooth 90s alternative rock that masks the underlying passion in favour of a less direct and more subtle sound. There are moments where the band are almost as progressive and dark as Tool, but an equally good comparison would be Alkaline Trio on their slowest songs, though No Motiv have a less melodic sound overall. It's an interesting juxtaposition of numerous different sounds, and as such a difficult one to describe on paper, because the usual metrics do not apply here: No Motiv's songs are thoughtful and introspective, yet contain a layer of melody hidden just underneath the surface that makes songs like "Bled" sound great after repeated listens. But a warning is in order here: the first few listens will almost certainly suggest that No Motiv are a band of bland songs, it's only once you acclimatize with their slow alternative rock sound that you begin to understand "Winterlong" EP. It's a good window to what the band sounded like during their Vagrant days (or so I'm told, at least), so interested ones should take a look at a piece of 90s alternative rock history.

Download: Dead As The Day
For the fans of: Samiam, Foo Fighters, Hot Rod Circuit, Sunny Day Real Estate
Listen: Myspace

Release date 06.03.2012
Black Numbers