Matador is Gaz Coombes’s second solo album since the demise of Supergrass. Those who admire the muscularity that propelled that band and the economy of Coombes’s songwriting will not be disappointed by songs such as To the Wire. They may, however, be shocked at its opening line: “I want to cut myself/ Cut myself down.” Similarly, Detroit’s krautrock patterns bubble along prettily, but “there is panic in my heart” is an unsettling refrain. Matador’s sound textures are pulled together from a wide range of sources: a gospel feel on the chorus of 20/20, a touch of Neu! in The English Ruse. There’s a trace of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, not only in Matador’s use of slapback vocal echo, but also in its raw, confessional lyrics. Coombes’s voice has always been a powerful pop instrument, thrillingly on the edge of hysteria. On Matador, it’s also a howl of pain.
