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The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The latest full-length release from the experimental electronic duo features the 99 beats per minute submissions from 99 musicians including David Grubbs, Matthew Herbert, Daniel Lopatin, J.G. Thirlwell, and Yo La Tengo.
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  • Record Label: Thrill Jockey
  • Genre(s): Electronic, Electronica, Techno, Experimental Techno, Ambient Techno
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Aug 21, 2020
    90
    The Consuming Flame is Matmos at their finest. Daniel and Schmidt have taken the simplest of concepts and manipulated it into a gorgeous and grotesque beast of an album.
  2. Aug 21, 2020
    80
    What this three-hour opus does is show Matmos to still be intrepid sonic explorers, pushing the boundaries of musical orthodoxy and consolidating their unique position within the avant-garde.
  3. Aug 21, 2020
    80
    In its own way, The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form is a fitting companion piece to Plastic Anniversary. Like that album, it's a winning celebration of what makes Matmos special, and a tribute to the boundless possibilities of creativity -- especially when it's shared with others.
  4. Mojo
    Aug 21, 2020
    80
    The Consuming Flame is rich, intense and deftly woven into three hour-long suites. [Oct 2020, p.91]
  5. The Wire
    Nov 6, 2020
    80
    Their latest concoction is a study in maximalism that weaves ideas from a multitude of artists into a succinct stylistic language. [Sep 2020, p.56]
  6. Aug 25, 2020
    69
    Given the album’s length and density, it resists close reading; if there is an organizing logic here, it is not readily apparent, although brushed drums and choppy vocal effects provide thematic through lines, and the occasional recurring motif lends a sense of narrative cohesion. But the music often unspools with natural ease.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Aug 21, 2020
    9
    this is my introduction to the word of matmos, and it's a bloody heady one. the way this thing shifts and bends across tracks, across discs,this is my introduction to the word of matmos, and it's a bloody heady one. the way this thing shifts and bends across tracks, across discs, is so impressive. as a collaboration between 99 musicians, it's harmony becomes even more miraculous. just a great listen. Expand