Human Highway–Moody Motorcycle
I have a lot of admiration for Nick Thorburn, the guy behind Islands, The Unicorns, and several other projects. He knows how to write a song, has a beautiful voice, and obviously has energy to spare. Nevertheless, I never really grow attached to his albums. Moody Motorcycle–a collaborative product of Thorburn and Jim Guthrie under the moniker Human Highway–is no exception. I fall in love with songs for a moment and then kind of move on. Nevertheless, I do fall in love for a moment–with the harmonies, most of all. This is a strong album, really–much better than it was rated on Pitchfork, I think. As the cover indicates, there’s a sort of sixties folk feel to many of the songs–excepting, most obviously, the title song which makes me think of Smashing Pumpkins for some reason.
I know this is a thoroughly conflicted review–that’s the nature of my relationship with Nick Thorburn apparently. Still, listen to the track below–no one can deny that it is just lovely.