Pitchfork

M.C. Schmidt and Pitchfork's own Drew Daniel, together known as Matmos, aren't the kind of guys you'd expect a short, concise song cycle from. Rather, they're known for making music that basks in its concept. But even by their own standards, Matmos's new album may feel like a headswim. That disc, exquisitely titled The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast, hits American shelves on May 9 courtesy of Matador Records.

TRHTITMOAB, as we like to call it, is said to be Schmidt and Daniel's shot at musical biography. The album is composed of ten tracks, each of which focuses on a different historical individual who influenced the musicians' lives. Each song constructs its own musical style; according to the band, "porn funk," "Wagnerian slapstick," and "Arabic ragtime psychedelia" are all explored on the album.

If that sounds too normal, consider that Matmos also reenacted events from the lives of those being recounted, and then used sounds from said performances as part of their music. They also took items important to the songs' subjects and built melodies out of the noises these items made. Such objects include snails, semen, burning flesh, and "bovine reproductive track" (we're not making this up, we swear!).

Matmos claim that this album is more "fun" than their previous works. What could be more fun than flesh on fire?

Vocalists on The Rose include Björk, Antony, Laetitia Sonami, Marcus Schmickler, M. C. Schmidt's older brother Werner, and Maja Ratjke. It's a party!

Tracklist:

01 Roses and Teeth for Ludwig Wittgenstein (feat. Laetitia Sonami and Bjork)
02 Steam and Sequins for Larry Levan
03 Tract for Valerie Solanas
04 Public Sex for Boyd McDonald
05 Semen Song for James Bidgood (feat. Zeena Parkins and Antony)
06 Snails and Lasers for Patricia Highsmith
07 Germs Burn for Darby Crash
08 Solo Buttons for Joe Meek (feat. the Kronos Quartet)
09 Rag for William S. Burroughs
10 Banquet for King Ludwig II of Bavaria (feat. Maja Ratkje)

As for live performances, well, Matmos have something special up their sleeves. The band told Pitchfork the following:

"It's not going to be easy music to play live, so we're recruiting some special lineups for our tours of Europe and America and (maybe) Asia in the fall. We're extremely chuffed to announce that Zeena Parkins will be in the band for our European adventures and So Percussion will be playing with us for the U.S. shows. There will be a special concert at the Whitney Museum of American Art to coincide with the album coming out in May, and more dates are getting firmed up as we speak."

* Matmos: http://brainwashed.com/matmos/
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