The Civil War (album)

The Civil War is a 2003 studio album by experimental duo Matmos, released via Matador Records. It explores the boundaries between Americana, Medieval folk music and electronica. It features many live instruments such as drums, brass and guitars. A hurdy-gurdy is also sampled. There is also a satirical take on "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The Civil War
Studio album by Matmos
Released	September 23, 2003
Genre	Electronica
Length	45:52
Label	Matador Records
Producer	Matmos
Matmos chronology
A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure (2001) The Civil War (2003) The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast (2006)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	favorable[3]
The Guardian	[4]
Pitchfork	7.3/10[5]
PopMatters	unfavorable[6]
Stylus Magazine	B+[7]

Critical reception

Review aggregator website Metacritic gives The Civil War a score of 77 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[1]

Heather Phares of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it "an album whose subtly oxymoronic title suggests the inherent contradictions of its sound."[2] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.3 out of 10, saying, "As a technical achievement and as a piece of pure sound, The Civil War is inarguably Matmos' best record."[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Regicide"	2:47
2.	"Zealous Order of Candied Knights"	4:36
3.	"Reconstruction"	9:31
4.	"Y.T.T.E. (Yield to Total Elation)"	9:08
5.	"For the Trees"	3:31
6.	"The Stars and Stripes Forever"	2:07
7.	"Pelt and Holler"	4:17
8.	"The Struggle Against Unreality Begins"	5:34
9.	"For the Trees (Return)"	4:15

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Cabin in the Sky"	9:03

References

1. "The Civil War by Matmos". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
2. Phares, Heather. "The Civil War - Matmos". AllMusic. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
3. Battaglia, Andy (September 22, 2003). "Matmos: The Civil War". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
4. Wyse, Pascal (September 18, 2003). "Matmos, The Civil War". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
5. Richardson, Mark (October 13, 2003). "Matmos: The Civil War". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
6. Pugh, Mitch (October 16, 2003). "Matmos: The Civil War". PopMatters. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
7. Shiflet, Mike (September 29, 2003). "Matmos - The Civil War". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved March 14, 2017.

External links

• The Civil War at Discogs (list of releases)