MATCHING MOLE

This is a definitely a highlight of the Canterbury sub-genre. Robert Wyatt decided to form a new band after Soft Machine started heading a direction closer to jazz. Wyatt still creates challenging and experimental music that is as enjoyable as Soft Machine releases. The band consists of Wyatt (ex-Soft Machine), Dave Sinclair (ex-Caravan), Phil Miller (future Hatfield and the North, National Health), and Bill MacCormick, who has played with various other musicians. They are all Canterbury super stars in their own right.

The album starts out with "O Caroline," a signature Wyatt tune with great lyrics. It's very emotional and catchy, but still adhering to the Canterbury sound; it's truly a favorite among fans of Wyatt's work. The mellotron sound is evident in this and many of the tracks that follow. The next few pieces are experimental tracks. In "Signend Curtain," Wyatt uses the structure of the piece to create song lyrics (i.e. "This is the chorus..."), an obvious aspect of Canterbury humor. "Part of the Dance" and " Dedicated to Hugh..." are probably to of my favorite tracks on the album. "Dedicated..." is an obvious reference to Wyatt's former band, Soft Machine, moreso Hugh Hopper, the bassist, who was still with Soft Machine when the material for this album was recorded. The last two tracks are more of the same experimentation, but fail to captivate me as the earlier pieces did.

Every Canterbury fan should own or at least look into this album. Fans of experimental music would most likely enjoy this album as well. I find this to be much better than the next release (Little Red Record). Although the second one is good, it just doesn't capture the magic that this album has to offer. Four stars, not quite a masterpiece, but an excellent addition to any Canterbury fan's collection.