MATCHING MOLE

Matching Mole can almost be considered a super group by Canterbury Scene standards. Robert Wyatt formed the band towards the end of 1971 after he left Soft Machine. Wyatt was joined by David Sinclair and and Phil Miller who would later go on and collaborate on a much more commercially successful project Hatfield And The North.

The music on this band-titled debut album is mostly dominated by Robert Wyatt's material with the exception of O Caroline, which he co-wrote with David Sinclar, and Part Of The Dance written is credited to Phil Miller. The sound is a mix between Wyatt's tongue and cheek vocal tracks, on the first side, and the familiar instrumentally driven Canterbury sounding compositions all throughout the second part of the album.

I do enjoy the instrumental pieces although I get easily distracted and slip into the passive listening state. This is of course not a problem since unlike RIO/Avant-Prog music Canterbury genre can be pleasant in both the active and passive states. There are a few instances, especially on Beer As In Braindeer, where it feels as though the band is playing pure improvisation pieces which does disrupts the active listening on my part. Still nothing here goes outside the soft and enjoyable style which makes me want to return to the Matching Mole debut album.

Although I can understand that some listeners might be put off by Robert Wyatt's lyrics specifically on Signed Curtain, passing it off as just a product of its time, I really get a great kick out of this material. If anything, this is what makes Matching Mole's sound distinguishable from all the other Canterbury Scene bands a memorable album experience.

The final track titled Immediate Curtain is an experimental Mellotron-driven composition that has to be heard by fans of the instrument since it brings out a much darker side of its sound. Overall the Matching Mole debut album is a must-have release for the fans of Canterbury Scene sound and an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

***** star songs: O Caroline (5:05) Signed Curtain (3:05)

**** star songs: Instant Pussy (2:58) Part Of The Dance (9:16) Instant Kitten (4:58) Dedicated To Hugh, But You Weren't Listening (4:39) Beer As In Braindeer (3:58) Immediate Curtain (5:57)