a thread for the eventual discussion of Supreme Balloon

[vesper]

because the date draws near!

in the meantime, drew daniel recently said, "Kitsch is so straight it is already queer. (http://paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1448)" truth bomb!

[Fiona]

Is this thread supposed to lie fallow for three weeks? :(
Sod it - La virginité sous le domino couleur d'invisible!

[Patrick]

3 bonus tracks on the vinyl, including a collaboration with Terry Riley called "Hashish Master."

And the packaging is super-gorgeous, both on the vinyl and the CD (and in different ways) - as usual, those guys outdid themselves.

[Fiona]

Excellent! Slightly off topic question - will the vinyl be available here (ie the UK and Ireland)? Availability of new Matador releases on vinyl is patchy around these parts. Cat Power and New P's are the only recent releases I'm aware of that have made it. Distributors are selling the items in, but mustn't be receiving stock.

[vesper]

basically i was excited by drew daniel's quote and thought, why not?, even if i did already send it to you (you, who i also knew would be one of the only people to read this!).

[Fiona]

Oh, I completely understand yr excitement! My comment (light-hearted in its intent) was more in regard to the amount of self restraint it's going to take to refrain from discussing the music until release date, so as not to spoil it for you.

So let us talk away about any or all other aspects or attributes.

[Natalie]

Hi Fiona, Vinyl will be available in the UK for this title. As you might have noticed with other releases, we often sell U.S. manufactured vinyl in the UK. This will be the same for Matmos and will be available May 12th.

[Fiona]

Do you know what distributor is carrying the imports? I spotted Piccadilly Recs were able to get import copies of Old Growth in, but that's the only recent release I've been able to locate in the shops I usually visit. Let me know and If I can get Dublin outlets on the case I will.

[Natalie]

All Matador titles are distributed through Pias (the artist formally known as Vital.)

[Fiona]

Thought that. I'll go back to the shops here but I'm just saying it's been a nightmare for the last while trying to get anything that isn't Cat Power, YLT or New Ps on vinyl here.

[vesper]

just bought the vinyl an hour ago, can't wait to listen to it.

[Fiona]

It's not out here until next week. BAH.

[vesper]

THIS RECORD MAKES ME EXTREMELY HAPPY.

[earl grey]

THIS RECORD MAKES ME EXTREMELY HAPPY.

me too! but you get to hear the bonus tracks, so i'm jealous...

it's a wonderful record. not a surprise there, but i am struck by how cohesive the whole thing is. it all fits together so well, more than any of their other records IMO. it's great.

[vesper]

anyone have favorite songs yet?

"polychords" strikes me as the most immediate, but i think "supreme balloon" and "cloudhoppers" are both pretty moving in their own special ways. i'm trying to limit myself to songs on the CD release so people can share in mutual love of certain songs, but let it be known: "hashish master" is the shit. anyone without the vinyl release needs to find some way to hear it.

[earl grey]

anyone have favorite songs yet?

"polychords" strikes me as the most immediate, but i think "supreme balloon" and "cloudhoppers" are both pretty moving in their own special ways. i'm trying to limit myself to songs on the CD release so people can share in mutual love of certain songs, but let it be known: "hashish master" is the shit. anyone without the vinyl release needs to find some way to hear it.

yeah "supreme balloon" is fantastic - so much going on in that song. i love the whole thing but the sections starting around 8:15 and 19:20 marks especially - but i am hearing several new things w/ each spin.

"cloudhoppers" is probably the song i feel least familiar with, actually, as it gets overshadowed by "supreme balloon" when i listen. "les folies francaises" is in the same boat, sort of - an "SB" warm-up with "cloudhoppers" as the come down - though i find it more memorable.

i agree with you on "polychords," it's probably my favorite of the short songs along with "exciter lamp." "exciter lamp" reminds me of "ur tchun tan tse qi" on 'a chance to cut,' with the skittering, clicky rhythms - i'm always a fan of those. (i had to look up the full title of "ur tchun" - don't think i've ever written it out or even said it before!)

[vesper]

hmm, i also realized today that this record hits the same pleasure buttons for me as tom recchion's chaotica: a wonderfully perverse take on exotica/lounge music, which itself is already perverse.

[vesper]

by the way, the tracklisting for the vinyl differs a bit, which i think allows a song like "cloudhoppers" to stick out a little more. since i've been working a lot as of late, i've been listening to the album on my laptop. maybe later in the week i'll see how the two versions of the album differ in terms of vibe and pacing. here's the tracklist for the vinyl.

side a
1. rainbow flag
2. polychords
3. mister mouth
4. exciter lamp and the variable band

side b
5. zemoi
6. orban
7. les folies francaises
8. clouhoppers

side c
9. hashish master
10. staircase

side d
11 supreme balloon

and where the hell is fiona in this? i know she's into the album!

[Fiona]

Sorry dude, I was at ATP this weekend, just got back this evening. I'll reply to any relevant threads when I've recovered some more.
But yeah, LOVE this album.

[vesper]

don't mean to be a jerk with this question, but why didn't the vinyl-only songs come with the mp3s available for download with the vinyl's purchase? clearly it isn't a big deal, but i just wondered since they would seem to go hand-in-hand, right? also, i should note that i still haven't listened to the vinyl version in awhile (been sticking to the mp3s), so maybe one of the hidden tracks on the CD/digital version is also on the vinyl? just curious is all.

[Miss Tasty Princess]

I second that! I bought the LP version and assumed the download would be inclusive. :( I've not downloaded the MP3s yet so I'm also assuming vesper's statement is accurate.

BTW, I'd say it is a big deal.

[Fiona]

don't mean to be a jerk with this question, but why didn't the vinyl-only songs come with the mp3s available for download with the vinyl's purchase? clearly it isn't a big deal, but i just wondered since they would seem to go hand-in-hand, right? also, i should note that i still haven't listened to the vinyl version in awhile (been sticking to the mp3s), so maybe one of the hidden tracks on the CD/digital version is also on the vinyl? just curious is all.

My vinyl hasn't arrived yet, ships here next week and I'm guessing it won't have the d/l coupon but still that's very disappointing. I would expect that all the vinyl tracks would be available to download. No more than you I tend to (have to) stick to the mp3 versions for a variety of reasons.

[Dean]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for pointing this out. It's been fixed and the vinyl-only tracks are now available in the coupon download file. Let me know if you have any problems with it or anything.
Thanks again!
-Dean

[vesper]

awesome! so i assume it'll count as my 2nd of 3 possible downloads with the coupon, right?

[Patrick]

vesper, assuming you haven't screwed up entering the code one time, that should be correct.

[Fiona]

It's not out here until next week. BAH.
Sorry if I'm treading old ground here guys, but any idea when the vinyl will be in shops over here (as in Ireland and UK)? I've it on order but come each Thursday/Friday it's pushed back another week.

[Fiona]

Any update on the vinyl release guys? As of the end of last week, the shipping date, per the store, was pushed back another fortnight.

[Natalie]

Hey fiona,
I checked on this again today and there's been a delay on getting our vinyl out to the stores. To be honest i would recommend buying from Matador Direct on vinyl releases as the UK will only very rarely manufacture our own stock.

nj

[Fiona]

Cheers Nat, that's what I usually do, but in this case thought I'd buy local as it was slated in for a proper vinyl release here. I'll hold out for a bit and see what happens so. Hope things good with you!

[Miss Tasty Princess]

hmm, i also realized today that this record hits the same pleasure buttons for me as tom recchion's chaotica: a wonderfully perverse take on exotica/lounge music, which itself is already perverse.
Chaotica is a fun little CD. Have you heard the CD by his group Extended Organ? It's c r e e p y.

I was thinking the new Matmos reminds me quite of a bit of my Perrey & Kingsley CD, which I love.

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/CDUCoverArt/Music/Large/superd_1016982.jpg

Hey! Did image linking get killed???

[vesper]

hey mr. hci, i didn't notice yr post the first time around. i have not heard the extended organ, but will check it out if i notice it in a store! thanks for the recommendation.

i finally got around to re-d/ling the mp3s a little while ago. and i edited the tagging so that it plays in the same order as the LP. i actually think that the inclusion of "zemoi" and "orban" gives the album a slightly better pacing and "supreme balloon" is now right where it should be, at the very end.

having put the album away for awhile and coming back to it again, i'm finding that it is actually coming together for me in a way that it hadn't before. it still isn't quite as immediate as the rose has teeth or the civil war, and it isn't quite as out there as a chance to cut, but it's a little more absorbing than any of those. does that make sense? individual songs don't stand out quite as much for me, but that also means i generally play the album from start to finish, as though it's a minimalist composition, or something.

oddly, i think this album makes the most sense in the context of their 2007 hannukah mix cd, cross fade over troubled water.