Rating: NNN
Matthew Friedberger is easily one of the most challenging figures in contemporary indie rock. Though his music as the Fiery Furnaces (with his sister, Eleanor, on vocals) is full of disjointed and surrealistic concepts, that band is a walk in the park compared to his solo work.
Hot on the heels of an eight-album series released throughout 2011 and 2012, the prolific Paris-based Friedberger now gives us Matricidal Sons Of Bitches, 45 instrumental tracks influenced by the low-budget films of Poverty Row. Only one, Disappointed Dads, exceeds four minutes (just by one second, and it’s the standout track).
The rest are just 15 or 30 or 45 seconds long, sometimes seeming like filler. Rather than full-fledged songs, these are antique-sounding idea fragments, often sinister but also whimsical. On first listen, Matricidal sounds like an hour of Friedberger playing with all the buttons on his keyboards, taking no care to connect sounds or smooth the edits.
Yet taken as a whole and with time, it evokes something melancholy, strange and nostalgic – equally beautiful and eerie. It doesn’t necessarily make any sense, but the feeling is undeniable.
Top track: Disappointed Dads
