Supreme Balloon

Last updated
Supreme Balloon
Supreme Balloon (Front Cover).png
Studio album by
Matmos
ReleasedMay 6, 2008 (2008-05-06)
Genre Electronic
Length49:16
Label Matador Records
Matmos chronology
The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
(2006)		Supreme Balloon
(2008)		 Treasure State
(2010)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 78/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club C+ [3]
The Boston Phoenix Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Pitchfork 7.5/10 [5]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Spin favorable [7]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]

Supreme Balloon is a 2008 studio album by American electronic music duo Matmos, released via Matador Records.

Matmos band

Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including notably J Lesser. Apart from releasing nine full-length studio albums and numerous collaborative works, Matmos is also well known for their collaboration with Icelandic singer and musician Björk, both on studio recordings and live tours. After being signed to Matador Records for nine years, Matmos signed with Thrill Jockey in 2012. The name Matmos refers to the seething lake of evil slime beneath the city Sogo in the 1968 film Barbarella.

Matador Records American record label

Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.

Contents

On the album, Matmos skipped sampling antics in favor of a lighthearted "cosmic pop" record made entirely out of synthesizers. The exotic and antiquated synths used here heavily spotlight the classic 1960s/1970s/1980s consumer electronic rigs of Arp, Korg, Roland, Waldorf, and Moog. [9]

Korg company

Korg Inc., founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, they also manufacture guitar amplifiers and electric guitars.

Roland Corporation Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software

Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972. In 2005, Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has factories in Taiwan, Japan, and the USA. As of March 31, 2010, it employed 2,699 employees. In 2014, Roland was subject to a management buyout by Roland's CEO Junichi Miki, supported by Taiyo Pacific Partners.

Waldorf Music manufacturer of synthesizers

Waldorf Music is a German synthesizer company. Best known for the Microwave wavetable synthesizer and Q virtual analogue synthesizer lines developed and released by Waldorf Music AG, the original company declared insolvency at a German court on 5 February 2004. In Summer 2006 a new company Waldorf Music GmbH was officially established, although it is not a legal successor to the original company.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Supreme Balloon received an average score of 78% based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [1]

Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of media products: films, TV shows, music albums, video games, and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged. Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc Doyle, and Julie Doyle Roberts in 1999. The site provides an excerpt from each review and hyperlinks to its source. A color of green, yellow or red summarizes the critics' recommendations. It has been described as the video game industry's "premier" review aggregator.

Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, calling it "a woozily beautiful-sounding record, as crystalline, gleaming, and full-bodied as vintage Terry Riley." [5]

<i>Pitchfork</i> (website) online music magazine

Pitchfork is an American online magazine launched in 1995 by Ryan Schreiber, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by Condé Nast. Being developed during Schreiber's tenure in a record store at the time, the magazine developed a reputation for its extensive focus on independent music, but has since expanded to a variety of coverage on both indie and popular music.

Terry Riley American composer and performing musician

Terrence Mitchell Riley is an American composer and performing musician associated with the minimalist school of Western art music, of which he was a pioneer. His work is deeply influenced by both jazz and Indian classical music, and has utilized innovative tape music techniques and delay systems. He is best known for works such as his 1964 composition In C and 1969 album A Rainbow in Curved Air, both considered landmarks of minimalist music.

Track listing

CD edition
No.TitleLength
1."Rainbow Flag"3:50
2."Polychords"3:31
3."Mister Mouth"3:48
4."Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band"3:21
5."Les Folies Francaises"2:24
6."Supreme Balloon"24:08
7."Cloudhoppers"2:58
8."Orban" (preceded by 10 minutes of silence)5:15
9.Untitled (silence)0:08
Vinyl edition
No.TitleLength
1."Rainbow Flag"3:50
2."Polychords"3:31
3."Mister Mouth"3:48
4."Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band"3:21
5."Zemoi"3:51
6."Orban"5:12
7."Les Folies Francaises"2:24
8."Cloudhoppers"2:58
9."Hashish Master"7:50
10."Staircase"4:25
11."Supreme Balloon"24:08

Charts

ChartPeak
position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums ( Billboard ) [10] 20

Related Research Articles

<i>Vespertine</i> 2001 studio album by Björk

Vespertine is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Records. Production on the album began during the filming of Dancer in the Dark, which was characterized by conflict between the singer and director Lars von Trier. Vespertine's sound reflected Björk's newly found interest in the music of artists such as Opiate and Console, who were also enlisted as producers.

<i>A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure</i> 2001 studio album by Matmos

A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure is a 2001 studio album by electronic music group Matmos. The album consists primarily of samples of medical procedures, including plastic surgeries, liposuctions, hearing tests and bonesaws. The album maintains a sense of humour in contrast with the serious nature of the audio being sampled. The exception to the medical samples is the song "For Felix ", a piece dedicated to their deceased pet rat Felix, performed entirely on his cage.

<i>The Civil War</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Matmos

The Civil War is a 2003 studio album by experimental duo Matmos, released via Matador Records. It explores the boundaries between Americana, Medieval folk music and electronica. It features many live instruments such as drums, brass and guitars. A hurdy-gurdy is also sampled. There is also a satirical take on "Stars and Stripes Forever."

<i>Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts</i> 2003 studio album by M83

Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts is the second studio album by the French electronic group M83. The album was first released in Europe on April 14, 2003, then in North America on July 27, 2004 to positive reviews. The cover art is by Justine Kurland, and is called Snow Angels. This album is also known for being founding member Nicolas Fromageau's last album with the band.

<i>Witching Hour</i> 2005 studio album by Ladytron

Witching Hour is the third studio album by English electronic music band Ladytron. It was released on 3 October 2005 by Island Records. The album was promoted by four singles: "Sugar", "Destroy Everything You Touch", "Weekend" and "Soft Power".

<i>Selling Live Water</i> 2003 studio album by Sole

Selling Live Water is a solo studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on Anticon in 2003. It peaked at number 126 on the CMJ Radio 200 chart, as well as number 7 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart.

<i>The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast</i> 2006 studio album by Matmos

The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast is the sixth studio album by Matmos. Each of the album's songs is dedicated to a notable gay or lesbian person who has influenced the duo, and this influence is reflected in the songs themselves. For examples, "Rag for William S. Burroughs" features the clatter of a type writer and a gunshot, representing the William Tell incident, and "Tract for Valerie Solanas" contains excerpts from the "SCUM Manifesto".

<i>Multiply</i> (Jamie Lidell album) 2005 studio album by Jamie Lidell

Multiply is a studio album by Jamie Lidell. It was released on Warp Records in 2005. Unusual for Warp, which for many years released mainly electronic music, the album has much in common with soul and funk music.

<i>Sound of Silver</i> 2007 studio album by LCD Soundsystem

Sound of Silver is the second studio album by American dance-punk band LCD Soundsystem. The album was released in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2007 under Capitol Records and in the United States on March 20, 2007 under DFA Records. Sound of Silver was produced by the DFA and recorded during 2006 at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts and DFA Studios in New York, New York.

<i>Dumb Luck</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Dntel

Dumb Luck is a studio album by American electronic music artist Dntel. It was released through Sub Pop on April 24, 2007. Recorded between 2002 and 2006, it includes vocal contributions from Ed Droste, Valerie Trebeljahr and Markus Acher, Jenny Lewis, Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott, Mia Doi Todd, Andrew Broder (Fog), Conor Oberst, and Christopher and Jennifer Gunst.

<i>Beach House</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Beach House

Beach House is the debut studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House. It was released on October 3, 2006, by Carpark Records. The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics.

<i>Low Kick and Hard Bop</i> 2001 studio album by Solex

Low Kick and Hard Bop is the third studio album by Solex. It was released via Matador Records on September 11, 2001.

<i>Sensuous</i> 2006 studio album by Cornelius

Sensuous is the fifth studio album by Cornelius. It was originally released in 2006. It peaked at number 8 on the Oricon Albums Chart. In the United States, it was released via Everloving Records in 2007.

<i>In Ghost Colours</i> 2008 studio album by Cut Copy

In Ghost Colours is the second studio album by Australian electronic music band Cut Copy. It comprises 15 tracks, including a re-recorded version of the single "Hearts on Fire". The album was originally planned as an Australian release for 2007, but was delayed until 2008 to accommodate a simultaneous international release of the recording.

<i>Blood Looms and Blooms</i> 2008 studio album by Leila

Blood Looms and Blooms is the third studio album by electronic music artist Leila, released by Warp in 2008. It peaked at number 33 on the UK Dance Albums Chart.

There's Me and There's You is the second studio album by The Matthew Herbert Big Band. It was released on Accidental Records and Studio !K7 in 2008.

<i>Astrological Straits</i> 2008 studio album by Zach Hill

Astrological Straits is the debut full-length studio album by American recording artist Zach Hill. It was released on August 12, 2008 by Anticon and Ipecac Records.

<i>Eskimo Snow</i> 2009 studio album by Why?

Eskimo Snow is the third studio album by American band Why?. It was released by Anticon on September 22, 2009.

Quasi-Objects is a 1998 electronic music album by Matmos, which followed their self-titled debut. Matmos created the album's music by incorporating ordinary sounds recorded around their home.

References

  1. 1 2 "Supreme Balloon by Matmos". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Supreme Balloon - Matmos". AllMusic . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  3. ↑ Battaglia, Andy (May 12, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". The A.V. Club . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Brodeur, Michael (April 8, 2008). "Matmos". The Boston Phoenix . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Pytlik, Mark (May 8, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mathers, Ian (May 5, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". PopMatters . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ Zimmerman, Shannon (May 6, 2008). "Matmos, 'Supreme Balloon' (Matador)". Spin . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  8. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (May 6, 2008). "Matmos - Supreme Balloon". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Matmos – Supreme Balloon – This Day In Matador History". Matador Records . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Matmos – Chart history – Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.