The Marriage of True Minds (Bonus Track Version)

Whether you're dodging the surgically enhanced samples of A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure or absorbing the abstract Americana of The Civil War, one thing's always been clear about Matmos: process is as important as the product itself. And while that could make the duo's albums sound like academic exercises, Matmos never lets its lab coat–optional ideas get in the way of good grooves. Like the duo's longtime friend (and fellow friend-of-Björk) Matthew Herbert, Matmos wants you to feel its music, not just hear it. The concept behind The Marriage of Two Minds—sensory deprivation experiments involving white noise, telepathy, and a lengthy guest list (everyone from Dan Deacon to members of Dirty Projectors, Bloody Panda, and Wye Oak)—reads like a thesis. But the music screeches, splashes, and squeals in a way that's as discomforting and downright mad as the psychiatric sessions Matmos is trying to emulate. Dance music rarely gets more demented than this.