MATMOS play the Garrison tonight (Thursday, February 14). See listings. Rating: NNNN
Matmos are serious experimental artists, which means they’re also often hilarious. According to the electronic duo, The Marriage Of True Minds is the result of four years of parapsychological experiments in which they deprived participants of sensory inputs and then attempted to telepathically transmit the concept of the album to them, then based the actual songs on their responses. We’re pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, but also fairly certain that they actually did all of this (which makes it even sillier).
Their last album, Supreme Balloon, was a disappointingly straightforward attempt at a tribute to vintage synth music. In the Matmos world, gimmicky concepts work much better. Wacky pseudoscience aside, the results here are relatively accessible, at least by Matmos standards. There’s plenty of playful rewiring of familiar pop concepts and a surprisingly rock ‘n’ roll vibe throughout. Their cover of the Buzzcocks’ ESP combines computerized doom metal and glue-huffing electro bubblegum into a particularly effective bit of insanity.
Top track: ESP
