Today's Sounds: Matmos

Record:

Matmos, The Marriage of True Minds (Thrill Jockey)

There’s an explanation on Wikipedia as to what a Matmos really is. I have chosen to forgo reading this portion of the B’more duo’s bio, and with any luck I’ll remain blissfully ignorant for years to come.

You see, Matmos’s albums don’t necessarily sound like the product of humans. I prefer to imagine Matmos as THE Matmos, a sort of lumpy, swamp-dwelling cryptozoological creature of my own devising that subsists on an omnivorous diet of fluttering insects, slimy flora and human-produced garbage, like old VHS tapes and broken instruments.

The Marriage of True Minds (out next Tuesday, Feb. 19) would therefore be the TechniColor turds of this hulking, glutinous, gooey beast, and I mean that in the most complimentary of senses. Or perhaps the head-nodding backbeats form the ideal soundtrack to wading in the Matmos’s smoky habitat, while unexpected gurgles, bellows, metallic clinks and the host of other weird sounds that will leave your ears tingling would represent the Matmos trying to communicate with you. That the Matmos consumes physical forms of media would also explain the spoken word samples used throughout. And the conclusion (spoiler alert) would be a couple of dudes who got accidentally swallowed by the Matmos.

Anyways, The Marriage of True Minds is far more than just random splatter on a page. There are moments designed to push your neurons to the limits, but Matmos can play it smooth as well. This is a beast with a bit of electro-soul.

See the men behind the Matmos with Horse Lords and Montreal Nintendo Orkestar at Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon W.) tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 9 p.m., $15

Track:

Tegan and Sara, “Closer” (Yeasayer remix)

The new Tegan and Sara record, Heartthrob, is a desperate plea for radio play. Its songs are nauseatingly over-produced, but they’re not garbage to the core — hear how Yeasayer’s repackaging renders this single palatable. (Btw, ’90s people, it’s not a Nine Inch Nails cover, but it is about fucking.)

Video:

Pissed Jeans, “Bathroom Laughter”

Allentown, PA punks Pissed Jeans released their fourth record, Honeys, just yesterday. This video depicts disaster on an infomercial set. If only all late-night TV could be like this.