| Artist |
| Matmos |
| Title |
| Supreme Balloon |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label |
| Matador Records |
| Style |
| electronica/experpimental |
| Date of review |
| 6 June 2008 |
| Reviewer |
| Anya Hastwell |
| Rating |
| 6/10 |
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Now it's time for some electro-indie-psychedelic sounds from Matmos. Matmos was also the name of the bizarre substance Barbarella came into contact with while 'doing her thing', obscure fact-fans. Apparently all sounds on the album were generated with synthesizers and computers – after all, a synthesizer won't walk out, doesn't get drunk and make off with your girlfriend, or even demand royalties. A winner hands down then, if you want to avoid rock-star tantrums and just get on with making your album. The downside of this is that it does sometimes sound a bit cold, dry and emotionless, but then maybe that's the idea? The CD doesn't have songs as such, but weird discordant electro sounds that would have Doctor Who boogieing through the various galaxies. And could that be a Dalek lurking around the corner? It certainly sounds like it. "Exciter Lamp And The Variable Band" sounds like a bunch of mad fairies playing around with a musical box, interspersed with farting noises and the odd explosion. Which almost sums everything up, really. And it all goes French for "Les Folies Francaises", a lazy-sounding ditty on a bass-heavy harpsicord sound. "Supreme Balloon" sounds like a slowed-down relaxation tape, and I'm wondering if it does actually have subliminal messages encouraging the listener to fall asleep? Before I do, the next tune is "Cloudhoppers", another electro-drifty ditty that could be an alien lullaby. And then, something befuddles me – on the end of the CD are two untitled tracks. After five minutes of silence, more sounds ensue. I'm not sure many would be patient enough to keep the CD running unless they knew something was worth waiting for at the end, and I'm not sure this bleepy noise is.
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