Drummer Kenneth Kapstad joined Motorpsycho as a full member late in 2007.
Their new double-CD "Black Hole / Blank Canvas" was released 17th/20th march 2006 in Europe. The album has been getting generally positive reviews, proving the skills of the arguably most innovative Norwegian band of the last decade. Bent Sæther plays drums on this record, except on the track "You Loose", which is played by Jacco van Rooij who also played drums for the band on a short tour in spring 2006.
In activity since 1990, Motorpsycho have released 10 full length albums, as well as a number of EPs, a couple of live albums, and some side-project releases. Over the years, they moved from their initial mixture of metal, grunge and hardcore music, playing almost any kind of musical genre: indie, pop, psych rock, lo-fi, stoner, avantgarde, classic hard rock, acoustic, fusion, jazz rock and country rock as part of the The International Tussler Society.
2008 saw the release of the album, "Little Lucid Moments", containing 4 songs lasting between 11-21 minutes. The release was followed by a European tour in April and May 2008.
Early 2009, Motorpsycho recorded the Patrik Fitzgerald cover Punch with Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys on vocals. Jello Biafra have, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK been a fan of Motorpsycho for 16-17 years.
In the autumn of 2009 they released a vinyl-only record, Child of the Future and in January 2010 they released Heavy Metal Fruit, their first album with an outside producer.
On May 23 2016 it was announced on the band's website that Kenneth Kapstad will be leaving Motorpsycho after nine years with the band. The band did not announce a replacement, with supposed upcoming gigs in Brazil and a 40 show stint as the houseband in writer Carl Frode Tiller's play "Begynnelser" at Trøndelag Teater in Trondheim from September 2 2016.
However, on the second day of 2017 the fans could greet the long-awaited news of a replacement with delight. Swedish Trondheim resident Tomas Järmyr who has also played in acts such as Zu, Yodok, Yodok lll, Sunswitch and with Aidan Baker. He also studies at the music conservatory at NTNU – like Kapstad, Ståle Storløkken, Ola Kvernberg, Ketil Møster "and just about every decent musician we’ve worked with over the last decade before him" (quote Bent Sæther, January 2 2017). This piece of news was also supplemented with hints of an upcoming album in the fall of 2017. The album, titled "The Tower" was released on September 8th 2017.
When You're Dead
Motorpsycho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The profusion of colours your petals bestow
In fragrant flares all through the night
'till daybreak turns from blue to bright
Let me know now
Is it now or is it never
Is it for real or is it forever ?
Strangeness yet to come
Leaves have died and grown back on
With earth we bury when tired of strife
From earth we came into this life
So when you see me fall apart
Won't you help me up and guide me back to start?
Even in my dreams when I am in doubt
Oh,Lord won't you help me when I am down and out ?
No colours seem right
They faded out into the night
Who will turn the light back on,
When darkness turns from black to wrong?
Let me know now
Is it now or is it never
Is it for real or is it forever ?
Is it now or is it never
Is it for real or is it forever ?
Is it now or is it never
Is it for real or is it forever ?
Everything is great when you're dead
Your family surrounds you,there are flowers in your bed
Everything is just like they said...
I like lying down just to feel it.
The lyrics of Motorpsycho's song When You're Dead explore themes of life, death, and the unknown. The opening verse portrays the beauty of life, with the singer admiring the colorful petals of a flower that blooms through the night. However, this verse is quickly followed by a sense of uncertainty as the singer questions whether what they are experiencing is real or will last forever. The second verse dives deeper into the concept of life and death, with the idea that the earth both gives and takes away life. The chorus asks for help in times of doubt and darkness, and questions the nature of reality.
The final verse takes on a darker tone as the singer contemplates death. The lyrics suggest that everything is great when one is dead, with flowers in their bed and family surrounding them. The song ends with the striking line "I like lying down just to feel it," suggesting a yearning for the peace that death might bring.
Overall, the lyrics of When You're Dead are open to interpretation, but seem to express feelings of uncertainty, doubt, and a desire for something transcendent beyond what we can see and experience in the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
I watch you show
I observe your display
The profusion of colours your petals bestow
The abundance of colors your flower pedals display
In fragrant flares all through the night
Emitting a sweet scent in bursts throughout the entire night
'till daybreak turns from blue to bright
Until the day's beginning changes from dark to light
Let me know now
Please inform me
Is it now or is it never
Is this the current or final opportunity?
Is it for real or is it forever ?
Is this genuine or eternal?
Strangeness yet to come
There is oddity still on the horizon
Leaves have died and grown back on
Foliage perished and regenerated
With earth we bury when tired of strife
In soil, we lay down when exhausted by conflict
From earth we came into this life
We originated from the earth into existence
So when you see me fall apart
Thus, when you witness my disintegration
Won't you help me up and guide me back to start?
Would you assist me to get up and return to the beginning?
Even in my dreams when I am in doubt
Even in my imagination, when I am unsure
Oh,Lord won't you help me when I am down and out ?
Divine Providence, won't you help me when I'm broke?
No colours seem right
No hues appear accurate
They faded out into the night
They vanished into the night
Who will turn the light back on,
Who will illuminate the area again,
When darkness turns from black to wrong?
When the gloom shifts from black to inappropriate?
Everything is great when you're dead
Everything seems terrific when you're deceased
Your family surrounds you,there are flowers in your bed
Your relatives enfold you, blossoms nearby
Everything is just like they said...
Everything is precisely as they stated.
I like lying down just to feel it.
I adore lying there merely to sense it.
Contributed by Josiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.