The Rose Has Teeth In the Mouth of A Beast

The Rose Has Teeth In the Mouth of A Beast
Label: Matador
Length: LP
Rated: NONE
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Rose Has Teeth In the Mouth of A Beast, The
The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast (Matador) Among the most inventive of all post-electronica sound sculptors, San Francisco duo Matmos have recorded their most stunning album to date. Where before they were content to mix glitch tones within a general theme (The Civil War), The Rose is an ambitious project wherein each track is a tribute to one of the band’s seminal influences. Said influences include both the familiar (Darby Crash, Joe Meek) and the fantastic (King Ludwig II); the tracks overflow with warped spoken word, flowering melodies and screwball beats. ‘Steam and Sequins for Larry Levanâ?� lurches over metallic hand claps and a house beat; ‘Semen Song for James Bidgoodâ?� floats morosely with quavering strings and crunchy beats like some dance club requiem. William S. Burroughs’ tribute is all barroom piano and trumpet climaxing in a gunshot, typewriter strokes and brass cacophony. Go figure.

This article appears in May 10-16, 2006.