Matmos The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast
By: Andrew Lyman
This is my first full-fledged venture into the world of Matmos, and because of it, I have already decided to take another dip. This is a spectacularly orchestrated homage to characters ranging from King Ludwig II of Bavaria up through William Burroughs and Darby Crash. There is as much range and depth on this record as in the subject of its tracks. From industrial noise, to funk, to brilliantly executed electronica, Matmos clearly have command of what they are doing and putting out. Add to that the fact that their source material comes from recordings as abstract as the reproductive organs of cows, garden snails, semen, and dishes (to name but a few). That they can take a cow’s vagina and make it competent and compelling music is telling of both their strangeness and their merits.
I really cannot recommend this album highly enough for fans of anything, even sports. The fact that they can turn something so strange into something so unassuming is a marvel of modern music. I am now conducting a survey into their back catalogue because this album is too good to have come from nowhere.
All opinions expressed by Andrew Lyman are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of Stay Thirsty Media, Inc.
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