Wes Borland, Limp Bizkit’s eccentric guitarist, returns with
a new solo effort, the excellent Matadors
and Daughters EP. Ahead of his Astral
Hand full length, due out later this year, the 20-minute, two-song EP (or
single, depending on how you slice it) offers a sampling of what to expect from
Astral, which will surely be an entirely soundtrack-esque
offering full of experimentation. 
Borland, known
for his onstage flamboyance and unconventional musicianship, has long shed Limp
Bizkit’s douchebaggery and continues to explore his dynamic methods
beautifully, having ventured into solo and collaborative territory with Black
Light Burns, Big Dumb Face, The Damning Well, and was previously offered
positions in Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. Aside from the obvious
pocket-filling to fund his other work, Borland mysteriously remains in Bizkit,
a 90’s nu-metal frat-bro machine whose fans are forever adolescents with
backwards Yankees ballcaps and pants midway down their asses. He has gone on
record saying he has a love/hate relationship with the band and after making a
name for himself, it would be great to see him permanently step away. Figuratively
speaking, he is seemingly the only one who’s grown up, moved out from home and
pays his rent, and has an immensely respectable artistry. (He’s also an
accomplished painter). Borland’s work shines far brighter than anything Bizkit has
ever released (2005’s The Unquestionable
Truth, Pt. 1 was the only time the band marked adventurous ambition in
terms of sound and lyrical content). He sticks out like a sore thumb, often
wearing elaborate stage costumes while the rest of the band looks like they’re
rehearsing in their garage. He’s also a bit of a metal-centric Adrian Belew on
guitar. His musical abilities are often drowned in rap-rock drone, but it’s a great
thing he has other creative outlets where his true talents shine.
Matadors and Daughters’ two songs, the self-titled single and
“Arcturus”, are a bridge between Borland’s work on his 2016 electronic post-rock
album Crystal Machete and his
commissioned work for Moogfest, in which he’ll play a four-hour durational set
sometime over the festival’s four-day residence in Durham, North Carolina,
happening May 17-20. The EP’s tunes are lengthy, trippy, and phantasmagoric excursions
with slow buildups that culminate with majestic heights. While the new material
is slightly different and follows a more traditional song pattern, it still
adheres to the same rules Borland imposed on himself for Crystal Machete: no unprocessed vocals, no outside help from anyone
else, and no distorted guitar. It’s a big departure from the tired nu-metal
conjuring Bizkit delivers, a real shame as the band must dumb down their music for
all the jocks with a single digit IQ to understand. They have a legitimate musical
chemistry, sans vocalist Fred Durst, who still whines at nearly 50. Besides
Deftones, who remain highly successful and evolutionary, most other bands from the
nu-metal era have long burned out and can’t even pack a club anymore. (Alien
Ant Farm managed to bring in only several dozens of the venue’s 500 person
capacity at a concert in Colorado Springs, and it was a free event.) Even Aaron
Lewis of Staind became a full on pro-Trump republican and is making country
music just to stay relevant in some capacity, yet Borland himself never resorts
to desperate attention and keeps things fresh and exciting. He continuously
evolves and there is no end in sight, even as a member of Limp Bizkit. Matadors and Daughters is a pleasant listen from start to finish,
best heard in a dim to dark minimalist environment where you can envision the
music play out and come to life all around you. This is an album for
atmospheric enthusiasts and true fans of his work, not nookie chasing misfits.
photo: blabbermouth.net
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