Biography
Perhaps the
most "out there" of an already eccentric collection of
bands, Matching Mole proved to be an important crossroads
for a number of Canterbury luminaries. The group
was a collective led by former Soft Machine drummer Robert
Wyatt and also included keyboardist Dave Sinclair, formerly
of Caravan, and guitarist Phil Miller, who would go on
to illustrious heights in both Hatfield & the North
and National Health. The band's name originated
as a joke regarding Wyatt's former band, being a pun on
the French translation of Soft Machine (machine molle).
As such, the group takes a significant Soft Machine influence
and created a fairly left field take on classic Canterbury.
The group was extremely quirky, incorporating more of
an avant-garde twist and displaying heavy jazz/fusion and improvisational
tendencies. Fittingly, and apt description of the
group would perhaps be Soft Machine meets solo Wyatt meets
Hatfield & The North.
Their first album
looked primarily to Wyatt as the main focus and primary
songwriter, and balances vocal pieces with an extremely
abstract instrumental stance. The second album,
Little Red Record, saw the departure
of Dave Sinclair, as well as more of a instense fusion oriented style
thanks to the increased roles of Phil Miller and Dave McRae
in the songwriting process. The album in particular
is one of my personal Canterbury favorites, and is a quirky
classic of the more jazzy/avant end of the progressive
rock spectrum. On the whole, Matching Mole is one of the essential
Canterbury bands. - Greg Northrup [October
2001]
Matching Mole (1972)
Matching
Mole's first album is an eccentric mixture of Wyatt's
disarming vocal talents and a kind of esoteric jazz-rock
jamming that occasionally drifts into overly experimental
territories. There is of course great drumming from
Wyatt throughout, along with angular rhythms, disjointed
harmonies and dissonant textures. Early tracks like the
ballad "O Caroline" and the great "Signed Curtain" showcase
Wyatt's distinct vocal style to great effect, while the
next three tracks illustrate that left field brand of
jazzy prog that I dig so much about the band. "Part
of the Dance", the lone Phil Miller contribution, is a
powerful, fusiony rocker that foreshadows their subsequent
classic, Little Red Record. "Instant Kitten"
is another great jazzy tune, and showcases the kind of distinct melodic sense
that they would forsake elsewhere. A very nice track,
with some blazing, fuzzed out Sinclair organ solos throughout.
"Dedicated to Hugh..." features some towering soloing from
Phil Miller.
The album unfortunately
runs out of gas on the last two tracks, muddling around
in strange sound effects and boring improvisations that
seem to lack any kind of drive. This is where things
are kind of lost for me, and I tend to prefer LRR,
which being more of a band effort, tends
to hold my interest throughout. - Greg Northrup [April 2001]
Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup
Info
Little Red Record (1972)
Matching
Mole's second album is, to me, their more definitive hour.
Here, the rest of the band has more of an input, as opposed
to being more of a Wyatt project, with Robert only contributing
the lyrics to this release. This functions as somewhat
of a tradeoff for most listeners. On one hand, Little
Red Record lacks the charming Wyatt-penned ditties
like "O Caroline" and "Signed Curtain", but we do get
to enjoy a full and focused album of biting jazz fusion
more akin to the middle portions of the first album.
The album takes what I feel were Matching Mole's real
strengths and builds on them, with great contributions
from Phil Miller and new full-time keyboardist Dave McRae.
"Marchides" rocks out with some thundering drums and fuzzed
out bass lines providing the basis for Miller's sizzling
guitar attack. The band's disjointed take on jazz
rock and Canterbury works supremely for me throughout
the next three songs. They include great playing from all parties,
along with an angular sense of daring and dissonance,
and snatches of surreal melodies. This is all coupled
with wry English humor, tongue-in-cheek socialist propaganda,
and a female voice whispering amusing sexual innuendoes
-- blending together in what seems like one extended jam.
"Gloria Gloom" breaks down into a more ambient feel, with
snippets of conversation going on over more of Wyatt's
subtle and humorous lyrics ("How can I pretend that music
is more relevant, than fighting for a socialist world?").
"God Song" is a brilliant piece of trademark Wyatt
lyricism, a sarcastically clever shot at religion.
The album closes out with "Flora Fidgit", with a melodic guitar riff and
shimmering electric piano, and the atmospheric "Smoke
Signal".
The album was
produced by Robert Fripp and features Brian Eno guesting on
synthesizer for "Gloria Gloom", though neither's involvement
in the project is eminently noticeable. Overall, this
is a sublime piece of exceedingly unique Canterbury, blending
a number of influences and balancing the Wyatt factor with more
of a Hatfield & The North vibe. The little bits socialist
commentary are, of course, only half joking (Robert Wyatt was
in fact a dedicated communist) and add a unique charm, not to
mention the fact that Little Red Record possesses one
of the most subtle, amusing album covers in progressive rock.
Neither of Matching Mole's albums are particularly good
places to start exploring Canterbury, and one would probably
have to be well versed with bands like National Health, Caravan
and the Hatfield albums to really be able to get into this,
but if you're feeling adventurous, Little Red Record is
a must.
- Greg Northrup [April 2001]
Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
