The Motet’s 2016 album Totem is a high-octane explosion of modern funk, afrobeat, and retro-soul, packed with razor-sharp grooves and relentless horn-driven energy. Recorded entirely to analog tape and produced alongside Eric Krasno, the album balances deep, vintage warmth with a punchy, pristine studio polish. Frontman Lyle Divinsky’s soaring, gospel-tinged lead vocals inject a bright, infectious soulfulness over an airtight, locked-in rhythm section driven by Dave Watts’ crisp, syncopated drumming and heavy, thumping basslines. Lush brass arrangements—bursting with fiery saxophone and trumpet stabs—punch through the mixes alongside shimmering Fender Rhodes keys, vintage clavinet chops, and clean, rhythmic guitar licks. Tracks like "Fool No More" and "The Truth" showcase this tight, infectious signature: seamlessly blending infectious 1970s funk sensibilities with sophisticated, danceable jam-band interplay.
The Motet’s 2016 album Totem is a high-octane explosion of modern funk, afrobeat, and retro-soul, packed with razor-sharp grooves and relentless horn-driven energy. Recorded entirely to analog tape and produced alongside Eric Krasno, the album balances deep, vintage warmth with a punchy, pristine studio polish. Frontman Lyle Divinsky’s soaring, gospel-tinged lead vocals inject a bright, infectious soulfulness over an airtight, locked-in rhythm section driven by Dave Watts’ crisp, syncopated drumming and heavy, thumping basslines. Lush brass arrangements—bursting with fiery saxophone and trumpet stabs—punch through the mixes alongside shimmering Fender Rhodes keys, vintage clavinet chops, and clean, rhythmic guitar licks. Tracks like "Fool No More" and "The Truth" showcase this tight, infectious signature: seamlessly blending infectious 1970s funk sensibilities with sophisticated, danceable jam-band interplay.