Using non-musical objects is not a new thing in music, late legend Scott Walker at one point used meat punching in one of his projects, and metal objects often find their place in musical production.
Yet, electronic duo Matmos have become known for use of non-musical objects – previously their albums included sampled washing machines and medical procedures. Now, the duo has gone one step further – their latest album, with quite a precise title, Metallic Life Review will be mainly composed with metal objects, including the sounds of pots and pans, creaking cemetery gates, metal tape-deck reels, aluminum cans, and many other metals recorded throughout the duo’s history. The release date of the album is set for June 20, 2025.
The album does include musicians playing ‘standard’ instruments, including late Susan Alcorn, who plays pedal steel guitar, along with Owen Gardner, Swans’ Thor Harris, Half Japanese’s Jason Willett, and Jeff Carey. At the same time, the duo recorded part of the album live in the studio, another first for them.
Drew Daniel, one half of the duo explains in the press release: “We have the sounds of plucking the metallic gates around a tomb recorded in an underground crypt, the sound of cemetery gates, and the death of Susan Alcorn and the death of David Lynch occurred as we completed the album. We had already mixed the music with Susan before she passed, and we dedicate ‘Changing States’ to her. David Lynch’s way of being an American artist was inspiring to us and we dedicated ‘The Chrome Reflects Our Image’ to him.”
