Search - Matching Mole :: Little Red Record

Little Red Landmark

James HS | Tennessee | 07/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In sharp contrast to the debut self-titled "Matching Mole", there's a great deal of evidence - to the ear alone - that each band member collaborated and contributed throughout the process from song-writing to final product.

Robert Wyatt's presence, as always, obvious ... one very tall man regardless of his stature or, later, wheelchair.

Bill McCormick: a soloist, a tunesmith, and a solid reliable Canterbury sound. And that's precisely what a bass player should be in this context.

Phil Miller always seemed to have to suffer pain to play. He puts an incredible amount of effort into doing what he does, and it showed when I saw him live. I was happy to hear him more to the fore, both playing and writing.

Dave McCrae. He's no Joe Zawinul, he's Dave McCrae. This album made his mark for me. He pushed the early 70's gear further than it was designed to go, and without him this album would not be so remarkable. As good as Dave Sinclair was, I don't think he could have managed the same effect.

Miller and McCrae give the whole direction of the album more of a fusion sound than the first album had, and although some feel it doesn't work too well, I disagree strongly.



The most notable difference, however, is the atmospheric contribution of Brian Eno on VCS3. Don't expect to hear something of what might now be called the "Eno sound", though. This was before digital, where synth players had to know about the construction of sound as well as the construction of music. Eno gives an air of Morton Subotnick, The Twilight Zone, and inhaled surrealism to this album. Not Roxy Music, not Music For Airports.



The same goes for Bob Fripp's production ... this isn't Swastika Girls, not Septober Energy (although it comes close). There's an occasional production glitch - most notably with keyboards being a little too hot (to my ears, perhaps not yours), but without detracting from the music. I'm glad that's all he did; his guitar is not what I'd want to hear on this album



All together, the tracks form a whole experience. Of course the original was on vinyl, two sides with the natural break between each. But played on CD, straight through from beginning to end, it's more of a journey.



I've read that one reviewer discarded this album after one listening. Only one!!! So much music has been rejected without effort!

It's not only the reviewer's loss, but also a loss for you if you follow his advice and not bother with this album. Sometimes good music takes more than one handful of hearings to make itself clear. And that's true for most of Robert Wyatt's work until you accept him as he is.

Wyatt has the rare ability to create poignantly serious lyrics and music that are filled with humor and romance with a tinge of surreal strangeness. In that, he's a poet and an artist. But in all the covers of his songs that I've heard, the elements only come together when they are sung in his unique voice. That was true for the debut album, and it's no less true for the second and last release during the band's lifetime.



Put that together with the obvious skills of the other musicians, and what have you got. It's probably "Music for musicians" more than it is "Music for the masses", which seems a little out of place given the album title, and Wyatt's burgeoning political voice.



Take the time, make the effort, and you will be rewarded. Sure, it's a typical example of 1970's progrock in some ways. I bought the album when it was originally released in the UK, and it does begin to sound a little dated. But there is still an overwhelming uniqueness to the whole thing. There wasn't anything exactly like this before, and there hasn't been anything exactly like this since. For me, it will always be a landmark in my musical journey. Listen to it, and find out where it takes you. Explore.



Choice picks: Gloria Gloom, God Song, Righteous Rhumba, Nan True's thingy (virgin sex!!), and of course SITMOTDWCDOPA. Hahahaha! Darn it, the whole album. Sex, laughs, music, drinking, politics... what else is there? Religion."

Canterbury Cream

norman a. blardony | Philippines | 04/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All belong to the same lineage of Canterbury clan hatfield, soft machine, national health et al. Essential Robert Wyatt and Phil Miller two big names from the Canterbur scene. I keep on discovering new sounds and variations. This is fusion that is meant to be fusion but indeed fusion in Jazz rock English fashion and so enlightening and rich. Even after so may spins you'll never tire."

More Canterbury Tales for the EARS of your Peers

W. T. Hoffman | Pennsylvania, United States | 05/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cant BELIEVE i never heard of this album before. Then again, why would an american who grew up under the New Wave scene, know about a band that only made two albums, and was barely heard outside of England? WHY? Well, maybe because Brian ENO plays on a large part of the album. Or, maybe because Robert Fripp produced the album. (and I'm SURE he plays a guitar piece on one song, down in the mix. It's his guitar, his sound, his melodies, etc.) ANYWAY, if you like the first three SOFT MACHINE albums, then you know the star of this band, ROBERT WYATT. (He was the drummer.) After this album, Robert Wyatt had an accident, and ended up paralysed from the waist down. THat ended this band, but started his solo career, which is also quite fantastic music. But MATCHING MOLE is an animal all its own. You have some of the psychedelic jazz sounds that are on the THIRD SOFT MACHINE album. You also have some shorter, focused, druggy folk songs, which became perfected in WYATT's solo work. Most importantly, this is a core album in that late 60s early 70s CANTERBURY SOUND, that included Caravan, Gentle Giant, Gong, Hatfield and Rotters Club, Egg, and Soft Machine. Its PROG/ART ROCK/FUSION JAZZ/mixed with lighthearted British humour. ( Not humor, but "HUMOUR"...try to dig it, mate.) So, just ask yourself: DO you LIKE ENO, when he was still in his early phase, during THIRD UNCLE or SOMBRE REPTILES? Do you like Robert Fripp and that KING CRIMSON sound? (From around the LARKS TONGUE Period.) Its just such an incredible mix of genius UK musicians at the very top of their game. I admit, that I've not been listening to albums all the way thru recently. Well, after listening to the best cuts off this album, I turned right around, and played the whole CD. So yes, DO buy this if you like that Canterbury sound, or even if you just love PROG ROCK, either from the Genesis/King Crimson/Yes- first wave of that sound, or the new PROG like Porcupine Tree, PHISH, Black Mountain, or even fusion like Medeski Martin and Wood, or the 70s jazz fusion. I'm very impressed with this album, people."