In 1998, Matmos remixed the Björk single Alarm Call. Subsequently, Matmos worked with Björk on her albums Vespertine (2001) and Medúlla (2004), as well as her Vespertine and Greatest Hits tours. In November 2004, Matmos spent 97 hours in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as artists in residence, performing music with friends, musical guests and onlookers. The live album Work, Work, Work, essentially a "best of" collection of the session, was released as a free download from their website.
Matmos gained notoriety for their use of samples including "freshly cut hair" and "the amplified neural activity of crayfish" on their first album and "recorded the snips, clicks, snaps, and squelches of various surgical procedures, then nipped and tucked them into seven remarkably accessible, melodic pieces of experimental techno" for their album A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure.
In 2011, Matmos participated in a programmed evening of events with the visual arts organisation Auto Italia South East. The event was produced in collaboration with record label Upset The Rhythm.co.uk/ Upset The Rhythm and included contributions from experimental electronic musicians Jon Wiese and Birds of Delay. Matmos have since collaborated with a large number of visual artists and arts organisations, including Cafe Oto and Metal.
M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are also a couple, as stated in an interview in BUTT Magazine.
Schmidt formerly worked as a teacher in the New Genres Department at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Daniel successfully defended his dissertation on the literary cult of melancholy, directed by Janet Adelman at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently an associate professor in the Department of English at Johns Hopkins University. This brought the band to relocate their home base to Baltimore in August 2007. Daniel also has a personal dance music project, The Soft Pink Truth. He is a contributing writer to the online music magazine Pitchfork Media, and wrote an essay about the Throbbing Gristle album 20 Jazz Funk Greats for the Continuum Books series 33 1/3. Both Schmidt and Daniel appeared in the Sagan music film Unseen Forces by Ryan Junell.
For the Trees
Matmos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fog
Became God
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft
Bury me in honor
When I'm dead and hit the ground
A love back home unfolds
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
I don't want to be a soldier
Who the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below
So if you love me
Why'd you let me go?
I took my love down to Violet Hill
There we sat in snow
All that time she was silent still
So if you love me
Won't you let me know?
If you love me,
Won't you let me know?
The song “For the Trees” by Matmos is a melancholic and powerful song that uses vivid imagery to reflect on the political and social situation of the world. It begins with a description of a long and dark December, where there was snow on the ground and people were watching from windows as others froze below. The image suggests a large divide between people, with some having the privilege and warmth to watch from above.
Soon, the song introduces the idea that the future is being built by a “carnival of idiots on show,” which implies that the people leading society are unqualified and foolish. The singer urges the listener to “lie low” and protect themselves from the chaos and danger that is happening around them. This is a call to action, but also a reminder that sometimes the best thing to do is to take care of oneself.
The imagery becomes darker as the song progresses, with mentions of banks becoming cathedrals and fog becoming God. The idea that money and power have taken on religious significance is a chilling thought, especially when combined with the detail that priests are holding rifles instead of Bibles. The song concludes with the singer pleading for love and connection: “So if you love me, won't you let me know?”
Overall, “For the Trees” is a haunting and thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to think about the larger systems that govern our world and the impact they have on individual lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Was a long and dark December
The time period being referred to is December, which was prolonged and gloomy.
From the rooftops I remember
The singer has recollections from the rooftops of buildings.
There was snow
The weather had snowfall.
Clearly I remember
The artist has a vivid memory of the situation.
From the windows they were watching
People were observing the situation from their windows.
While we froze
The singer and others were very cold.
When the future's architectured
The future is designed or shaped.
By a carnival of idiots on show
The future is planned by foolish, superficial individuals.
You'd better lie low
It is better to hide or stay out of sight in this situation.
If you love me
The artist questions the love of another person.
Won't you let me know?
The singer requests for a clear confirmation of love.
When the banks became cathedrals
The banks took on the significance of a holy place.
And the fog
The atmosphere was cloudy and hazy.
Became God
The fog took on a divine power or importance.
Priests clutched onto bibles
Religious officials held tightly onto religious texts.
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
The priests modified the bibles to store their weapons within them.
And the cross was held aloft
The religious symbol of the cross was raised or held high.
Bury me in honor
The singer requests to be buried with respect.
When I'm dead and hit the ground
The singer expects to die and have their lifeless body hit the earth.
A love back home unfolds
A romantic relationship at home will develop further.
I don't want to be a soldier
The artist doesn't desire to be a warrior.
Who the captain of some sinking ship
One who is led by a commander on a doomed vessel.
Would stow, far below
Would hide in a low or inferior location on the ship.
So if you love me
The artist questions if they are loved.
Why'd you let me go?
The singer wants an explanation for being let go or abandoned.
I took my love down to Violet Hill
The singer brought their lover to a location called Violet Hill.
There we sat in snow
The two sat in the snow at this location.
All that time she was silent still
The lover remained quiet and still throughout the duration of their visit.
If you love me
The artist continues to question love.
Won't you let me know?
The singer again requests for confirmation or communication regarding love.
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.