Matmos Discusses New Albums, Soft Pink Truth

Music | April 26, 2010

From Supreme Balloon (2008)

I had the privilege of talking with M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel of Matmos this weekend, for an upcoming feature in ALARM Magazine. I was not at all surprised to find that they’re very intelligent, thoughtful artists — their work is evidence enough of their depth and creativity — but I was happy to also discover that they’re genuinely nice guys who seem to enjoy talking about what they do. It makes my job a whole lot easier and more pleasant.

We discussed their upcoming albums Treasure State, which they recorded with the Brooklyn-based group So Percussion, and Simultaneous Quodlibet. From what I’ve heard of the new material, they’re a solid addition to an already daring experimental catalog. I’m inspired by Matmos’ ability to find inspiration and new sounds in the most mundane and unlikely objects. I learned a lot from my discussion with Schmidt and Daniel: how to play a cactus as a musical instrument, what it’s like to be publicly dressed down by your experimental music idols, and why an excess of black bile is preventing Daniel from releasing a new Soft Pink Truth record.

Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt on The Soft Pink Truth [50s]
[audio:http://www.michaelpatrickbrady.com/audio/soft_pink_truth-brady.mp3]

On their unrequited desire for high school cheerleaders [57s]
[audio:http://www.michaelpatrickbrady.com/audio/matmos-cheer.mp3]

On the Baltimore music scene, of which they are now a part [2m 12s]
[audio:http://www.michaelpatrickbrady.com/audio/matmos-baltimore.mp3]

I, for one, wouldn’t mind another set of Soft Pink Truth covers in the vein of , but the prospect of fresh, original material from Daniel is also pretty exciting. It’s nice to know, at least, that the side project isn’t defunct; it’s been almost six years since the last release.

So stay tuned to ALARM for what’s sure to be an enthralling feature; my piece on Liars and Sisterworld is still on deck, hopefully out soon. And pick up the new Matmos discs when they come out, support experimental art.

UPDATE: The feature is now online. Read it here!