The second studio album from Bloomington-based band Motihari Brigade is entitled “The Party Is Over”, composed of 13 tracks spanning a multitude of subgenres and styles. The album’s predominant brass/horns section gave some strong Ska Punk and Reggae-Rock-Fusion vibes. The first impression I had with this album was that its creative process must’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Aerosmith, The Who, Rush, and Pink Floyd. The progressive songwriting makes the songs memorable and catchy, yet detailed. The first four songs feel like a Rock-Opera of their own, with some recurring lyrics and narratives. The brass section is the main character of those four tracks. It intertwines with the guitar solos adding melodies that make the instrumentation unique and experimental.
The fifth track, Identity Theft, is a pivotal point in the album lyrics and music-wise alike. Being the album’s lengthiest and most 70s-sounding track, it has multiple masterful guitar solos coupled with keyboards and vocal adlibs, highly nostalgic of the Pink-Floyd classic The Great Gig In The Sky. The following track Street Fighting Man is the first anthemic 80s-inspired piece here. It is also the first time we hear raspy vocals with a forward placement from mastermind Eric Winston. The song has thunderous drums and a clean guitar solo that can pump you with all the 80s energy you may need for days. I love how this album can seamlessly shift from one style to the other like that. The following track, Be Free, has a more straightforward blues/folk with an acoustic/semi-hollow guitar and some cool effects. The drums are stompy and the bassline is easy to follow, making this another memorable track.
Minefields and Downfalls is another lengthy track, this time with the bluesy guitar and a cool piano in the arrangement. The drum rimshots and added percussions create one of the strongest and most complex buildup sections here. By the time we reach the end of the track, the brass section is back with a horn solo that will make this go down in history as one of the best tracks this band has ever written. Disintegration Blues, We Are The Germs, and Too Big To Fail are a return to form with the Ska/Blues/Fusion mix of the album’s early tracks. We Are The Germs has a fun gimmick with the vocals that I won’t spoil, but just know that you’re in for a treat with these voices and with the horn solo during Too Big To Fail. Revolution Rock is the heaviest track on the album. With Punk and Hard Rock influences, such as its hard-hitting drums and a thumping bassline that will take you back once again to the 70s.The album closer, Morningstar, is a power ballad with piano and keyboard melodies that you can sway along to. It’s a nice breath of fresh air after the wild ride that this album has been.
At its heart, Algorithm and Blues is a Classic Rock record with all the elements and influences fans of that particular era will love. As for newer fans and other demographics, the album has a thing for (almost) everyone. The only con may be its long duration and how some tracks recycle and repeat ideas. None of that is to say that the album is bad or boring, on the contrary, it’s full of innovation and creativity. The moment you start listening to it, it’ll take you more than one day to get over its beauty and captivating rock n roll charm.
