matmos

The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast

Perched at the very pinnacle of the scalpel-symphony tree (quite literally on their rhinoplasty work...), the Matmos boys have enjoyed an unbroken few years as macro-tooled proponents of intricatronica; with 'The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast' their brand new missive. Taking the notion of a concept album then bending it to blistering-point, 'The Rose Has Teeth...' is the San Franscisco-based duo of M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel's ode to their influences - with each track relating directly to someone they consider to be part of their "fractured family album" and the results deemed "a historical pageant". Ranging from Ludwig Wittgenstein, Larry Levan and James Bigwood, through to Darby Crash, Valerie Solanas and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the range of individuals given the nod is as eclectic as they are esoteric; a pithy summary of the bands own output. Evidently in possession of a well stocked contacts-book, Matmos have drafted in all manner of collaborative talent for the record - with Bjork, Antony, Maja Ratjke, Laeitia Sonami and Kalonica McQuesten all popping up on guest duties. Opening with the album's title track (a nod to Wittgenstein), Matmos deliver the kind of painstaking composition that liberally flaunts it's prolonged gestation, as the embalmed tract of a cow (we kid you not) is used to bolster the suitably odd spoken-word meander from Bjork and a platter of gravelly beats. From here, things continue at a suitably fractured pace, with 'Steam And Sequins' lurching around like a bass-fed mutant disco (think Jimi Tenor getting his freak on), 'Public Sex' indulges in a bit of smooooth porn-funk, whilst 'Snails and Lasers' goes straight for carbonated jazz (with the lights off). Closing on the King Ludvig backslap of 'Banquet', Matmos have once again delivered an album that manages to adhere to their own schematic (the sound of burning flesh and semen both feature...), whilst joyfully f*cking with any notion of convention that might be lying around.