Matmos have released five new music videos to accompanying five tracks off of their recent concept album, The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form. The newly released music videos are set to the tracks, “Blessed Order Of,” “Circle of Swords,” “Boomchicka,” “Friendsylum” and “Maybeism.”
The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form saw Matmos incorporating features from 99 different artists, who were told to play anything they wanted within the tempo of 99 beats per minute. The album includes three distinct movements with three songs each, the tracks flowing into one another. Within the set of released music videos, Ed Apodaca directed “Friendsylum” and excerpts of “Circle of Swords,” while the band created the depictions seen in “Blessed Order Of,” “Boomchicka and “Maybeism,” as well as parts of “Circle of Swords.”
“Blessed Order Of” incorporates soft sounds of feedback amid monochrome imagery, white light in the center sometimes appearing like the sun, and other times looking similar to a record. The song creeps along, high pitched rings dancing across howling winds, the white circle turning into glitter that dances closely to the camera. An almost iridescent sound enters, introducing a brief flash of color within a static TV, made of pink and yellow hues, before the screen once again returns to monochrome as a hand navigates an old-fashioned tape recorder.
“Circle of Swords” flashes through a split screen of photos and art, sometimes depicting animals and flowers other times vast fires and human body parts. The track includes the clang of what almost sounds like a drumstick on a tin can, claps matching the tone as the eclectic sound throws in a piano and horn. A creeping piano tune finds a man lift his hand to its shadow, then a street pole at night and a forest, before returning to the clapping sound and split screen.
“Boomchicka” begins with a twanging guitar and sparkling harmonica, harmonizing vocal chords flowing over the banjo sounding tune. The video explores a map of the Mississippi river, the geography matching the tune of the track. The harmonizing vocals cascade over the bouncing tune throughout the songs course, with the video soon showing a clip of a fire entering a ranch filled with horses. “Boomchicka” spans 13 minutes, with synthetic tones taking over about midway as the fire continues to destroy a barn. Each section of the song creates an entirely different sound, slowly turning through various genres of electronica.
“Friendsylum” begins with a basic electronic tone, the video spanning conceptualized shapes and architectural designs. A man sits and lectures briefly on screen, his words distorted and muted so they become hard to understand. The architecture comes to life as the video highlights various buildings, animated vibrational waves dancing over them. The electronic tones ding and bounce, creating a relaxing sound.
“Maybeism” also follows the concept of split-screen photos, the song including chopped up vocals and sweeping electronic tones. Some of the photos depict trash piles, while others show renaissance art. Electric guitar strums make their way into the track, the soft robotic tones continuing on in the background before distorted vocals make their return.
The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form had been Matmos’ first project since their 2019 album, Plastic Anniversary. Back in May, Matmos’ Drew Daniels released his third cover album with The Soft Pink Truth, Am I Free To Go, which included covers of Disclose, Aus-Rotten, Doom and more.
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