New music: Motion Planet drop impressive sophomore progressive rock album, play Swan Dive tonight
Austin rock trio, Motion Planet dropped their sophomore effort, In Between The Moons today. The record reflects the disparate influences that dictate Jack Frink (guitar, vocals), Emily Meo, (bass, vocals) and Robert de la Rosa’s (drums) musical direction. Elements of indie, classic and progressive rock along with a dash of pop are evident on this nine-song album which the band will introduce this evening at The Cosmic Clash’s event at Swan Dive. Supporting Motion Planet’s headlining slot is an equally eclectic lineup with Austin’s Desilu, math rockers, If We Were Turtles (El Paso) and Florida queer femme punk outfit, Gilt. Music fans are guaranteed to hear out-of-the-ordinary music tonight in the Red River Cultural District if you party with us. RSVP and more details can be found here.
We enjoyed the prog-rock thread that ran through each of Motion Planet’s songs on their latest effort. Produced by de la Rosa and Meo at Noiz Factory in Georgetown, Texas, the record has a fresh feel that sounds like an effort was made to preserve the energy of the group’s live performances. De la Rosa mentioned his experience in mixing music has primarily been on the EDM side of things. He did a great job on the record. Progressive rock can go in two basic directions, a jazzier, cleaner, more sterile recording or what Motion Planet sought, a record that sounds like a great live recording, retaining the feel of their shows. It’s a recording objective often sought but rarely achieved in studio.
The eleven-song In Between The Moons possesses a cohesiveness to it that makes the record an enjoyable listen from start to finish. Frink’s vocals sound vaguely familiar, an indie-rock voice amid the jazzy bass lines Meo delivers and de la Rosa’s expressive percussion. The opening tracks, “Next Lucky Break” and Guilty for Millions” feature the lead vocals of Frink versus more upbeat tracks, “Closing Shift,” “Information Age” and “A Backward Song” in the middle of the album (tracks 4-6). The latter, an extended jam for Motion Planet at over six minutes running time, that begins with a low-key intro ramping up into the biggest rocker on the album. We could see this song blossoming into an extended jam live. The song is essentially made of three parts; low-key intro, full-fledged jam into a another lower tempo outro with a la, la, la vocal chorus. We enjoyed the tune enough to go back to it several times after listening to the complete recording.
For music fans who want evocative, new music that doesn’t sound like every other band you’ve heard lately, Motion Planet’s second studio effort is a worth a listen. You can stream the album on Spotify here. Fans will be able to purchase the album at Swan Dive this evening. The record will also be available at End of an Ear and Waterloo Records soon. Then head over to Swan Dive and join The Cosmic Clash for an evening of original music you won’t find at Walmart. Tickets are $5 at the door.
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