Matmos "A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure" Matador ole 489-2 2001 (46:17)
Lipostudio (...and so on) (5:35)
L. A. S. I. K. (3:57)
Spondee (6:15)
Ur Tchun Tan Tse Qi (5:05)
For Felix (And All The Rats) (7:53)
Memento Mori (7:32)
California Rhinoplasty (10:00)
San Francisco based duo Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt have always practiced a sort of audio forensics, liberally collecting unique source sounds for their compositions. And now, with their full length debut for indie favorites Matador, they've upped the ante by procuring (in person) all sorts of neat/disturbing squishy and mechanical sounds from actual medical procedures. But don't let that fact overwhelm your thoughts too much. Matmos have a well defined sense of humor and are just as concerned with creating interesting (and danceable) songs as they are seeking out interesting sounds. "Lipostudio" is perhaps the most fully orchestrated, mixing liposuction sucking and such with guitars, clarinet, drums and the gurgling of straw and water. This lighthearted romp slows to a crawl then concludes with a multitude of friends' voices stating "now I know how it fits, and so on". "L.A.S.I.K." laces the buzzing and whirring of refractive eye surgery (including conversation between doctor and patient) with skittering glitches and beats. "Spondee" features a spoken list of hearing test words and tones and amusing associated sounds over a handclap fueled beat. "Ur Tchun Tan Tse Qi" crackles and clicks with the electricity that flows through Schmidt's skin and is sought out with an acupuncture point detector. "For Felix (And All The Rats)" pays homage to Matmos' departed pet and all laboratory animals. Composed entirely upon Felix's cage, it's mostly a quiet, droning dirge save for a brief but very violent interlude. "Memento Mori" often sounds as grim (and possibly irreverent) as it's instrumentation, Schmidt tapping out playful rhythms on human skull, goat spine and connective tissue and artificial teeth over electronic drones. "California Rhinoplasty" couples nose flute with lots of plastic surgery noise, utilizing some rather amazing stereo effects in the 10 minute process. Fantastic. A lot of hard work went into this album, both in field recordings and programming/sequencing/editing, and it shows. "A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure" is well-balanced and truly engaging ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via CD Universe.