Cherwell - Oxford University student newspaper

Matmos’ label, Matador Records describe Supreme Balloon as ‘a holiday from conceptual responsibility.’ The duo’s recordings in the past have been famed for the use of unlikely instruments, ranging from amplified crayfish nervous tissue to a recording of aspirin tablets hitting a drum kit, however this album provides a stark contrast – a record made solely out of synthesizers.

It might initially seem unimpressive that an electronic band has made an all-electronic album. But this album is to electronic music what the Queen and Rage Against the Machine albums with ‘No synthesizers were used’ written in the linear notes were to rock and pop music.

Has this creative restriction led to a coherent album or a self-indulgent experiment? The answer lies somewhere between these two extremes - whilst the album strives to take the listener on a journey from the rhythmic 8-bit pop of the first four tracks to the sprawling epic of the title track, it lacks sufficient cohesion to achieve this.

The album stumbles as Matmos give their electronic take on baroque composer Francois Couperin’s ‘Les Folies Francasies.’ However this lapse is more than compensated for by the following track, ‘Supreme Balloon’, clocking in at just under 25 minutes long, which passes elegantly through several movements building up to an ethereal climax entwined in swirling arpeggios.

Whilst Supreme Balloon makes for very enjoyable listening it is hindered by the unique creative restriction Matmos placed upon themselves in creating it. It is telling that the most interesting and original aspect of this album is its method of creation rather than the music itself.

3 stars out of 5 

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