Supreme Balloon
| Supreme Balloon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 6, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Electronic | |||
| Length | 49:16 | |||
| Label | Matador Records | |||
| Matmos chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | C+[3] |
| The Boston Phoenix | [4] |
| Mojo | [5] |
| musicOMH | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[8] |
| The Skinny | [9] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |  [10] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[11] |
Supreme Balloon is a 2008 studio album by American electronic music duo Matmos, released via Matador Records.
On the album, Matmos skipped sampling antics in favor of a lighthearted "cosmic pop" record made entirely out of synthesizers. The exotic and antiquated synths used here heavily spotlight the classic 1960s/1970s/1980s consumer electronic rigs of Arp, Korg, Roland, Waldorf, and Moog.[12]
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Supreme Balloon received an average score of 78% based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[1]
Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, calling it "a woozily beautiful-sounding record, as crystalline, gleaming, and full-bodied as vintage Terry Riley."[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rainbow Flag" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Polychords" | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Mister Mouth" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Les Folies Francaises" | 2:24 |
| 6. | "Supreme Balloon" | 24:08 |
| 7. | "Cloudhoppers" | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Orban" (preceded by 10 minutes of silence) | 5:15 |
| 9. | Untitled (silence) | 0:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rainbow Flag" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Polychords" | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Mister Mouth" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Exciter Lamp and the Variable Band" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Zemoi" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Orban" | 5:12 |
| 7. | "Les Folies Francaises" | 2:24 |
| 8. | "Cloudhoppers" | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Hashish Master" | 7:50 |
| 10. | "Staircase" | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Supreme Balloon" | 24:08 |
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Dance Albums (Billboard)[13] | 20 |
References
- ^ a b "Supreme Balloon by Matmos". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Supreme Balloon - Matmos". AllMusic. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Battaglia, Andy (May 12, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Brodeur, Michael (April 8, 2008). "Matmos". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Supreme Balloon is an airy sphere of joyful electronic possibility. [June 2008, p.103]
- ^ Hogwood, Ben (May 12, 2008). "Matmos – Supreme Balloon". musicOMH. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Pytlik, Mark (May 8, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Mathers, Ian (May 5, 2008). "Matmos: Supreme Balloon". PopMatters. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ Glencross, Steve (May 1, 2008). "Matmos - Supreme Balloon". The Skinny. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (May 6, 2008). "Matmos - Supreme Balloon". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ It’s an incredibly warm and playful new record that pays homage to Vangelis, Wendy Carlos, Perrey & Kingsley, and a host of other synth pioneers with Moog, ARP, Korg, and Roland-driven pieces. [Summer 2008]
- ^ "Matmos – Supreme Balloon – This Day In Matador History". Matador Records. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ^ "Matmos Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
External links
- Supreme Balloon at Discogs (list of releases)