After releasing the
Solos
series of albums, which focused on exploring the musical possibilities of a single instrument on each release,
Matthew Friedberger
got the band back together for
Matricidal Sons of Bitches
, a smaller but just as high-concept project: A soundtrack to an imaginary horror film in four distinct parts. Given the willfully obscure bent of much of his work outside the
Fiery Furnaces
, it's somehow apt that while this is the most widely available music
Friedberger
has made in some time, it's also some of his least accessible. He's completely dedicated to the soundtrack concept, turning in an entirely instrumental album that breaks up its suites into smaller movements -- 45 in all -- that are subtle variations on the themes he sets forth. Like many real soundtracks, these pieces tend to blend into each other and serve as a backdrop to some action that, in
' case, never arrives. "Fleeing Plus Pursuing," from the "Ladies-in-Waiting -- Waiting Forever" section, is the closest this supposed horror movie soundtrack gets to true tension; the rest of its music stakes out its territory at the intersection of quaint and whimsical. "Tell Me What It Is You Want, Boys" boasts a melody that could be from a silent movie score, while "Same Every Night" takes a detour into seedy exotica, using what sounds like an optigan or some other type of vintage sampling synthesizer for its rinky-dink rhythms. These old-school samples, along with piano and some other vintage keyboards, make up the often kitschy heart of
' sound, which ranges from "Zeroing in Across the Crowded Bar"'s amusing jazz shuffle to "The Next Morning"'s
Martin Denny
-esque tropical soundscape to "As If in the Car with the Kids"' ambling groove. Most of the album's longer tracks show that
's tune-crafting and mood-setting skills haven't deserted him entirely; "You're Not Really Discouraged, Are You?," "Brand New Mothers," and especially "Disappointed Dads" have winsome melodies that make them standouts and also suggest what could have been if they'd been given a more fleshed-out treatment. However, the album's preponderance of shorter tracks is much more hit-and-miss, and many of them feel like the noodly parts of the
' music minus the actual songs.
upholds
's reputation as an artist who demands a lot of his listeners, whether it's connecting the dots between the multiple narratives on
Blueberry Boat
or seemingly inviting them to fill in the blanks of his non-existent film to help give these songs some context. It's a shame that the album isn't more focused, since its homages to Tin Pan Alley melodies and Poverty Row filmmaking, among other things, could have been fascinating. As it stands, its mix of tiny triumphs and incomplete ramblings will make all but
's most die-hard fans long for a
reunion. ~ Heather Phares