MATMOS is on tour in Japan for their new album, Plastic Anniversary. I saw them at Ginza Sony Park, and It was so exciting live performance. According to their introduction of the album, all songs were made with using only plastic material, and it is an attempt against environmental destruction. Actually, I cannot easily agree with the stance because music made from plastic material is somehow common, and music with political messages isn’t my favorite, but I realized that my thought is a shallow idea When I saw their act.
The world of their works is totally sophisticated. They never condemn environmental problems fanatically and don’t lightly identify those issues as good or bad. They simply focus on humorous parts that hide in those themes, and they turn them into moving works.
The most impressive act was Thermoplastic Riot Shield. As the name suggests, the song is made from riot shields. If you use common sense, the tune must be violent, but they pay attention to sounds that is generated between the plastic Shield and human body and read humorous things from the sounds. Then, they laugh off social problem excellently with using a poetic irony. I was moved very much by their beautiful way.
