Between the conclusion of his time with Soft Machine and the launch of his own recording path, Robert Wyatt directed Matching Mole, a group whose approach closely echoed the style he had refined during his Soft Machine years. The band’s name itself functioned as a discreet linguistic joke, since the English phrase “matching mole” closely approximates the sound of the French words machine molle, or “soft machine.” Even so, Matching Mole never reached the standard of Wyatt’s strongest Soft Machine recordings or his most accomplished solo releases. Although his distinctive vocal personality and wit surfaced now and then, the project primarily served as a platform for collective improvisation that could shift unpredictably between inventive passages and outdated fusion-style meandering.
The original roster featured former Caravan keyboardist Dave Sinclair, guitarist Phil Miller, and bassist Bill MacCormick alongside Wyatt, who composed the bulk of the songs for the band’s self-titled 1972 debut album. On the follow-up, Little Red Record, also issued in 1972, David MacRae took Sinclair’s place, and the songwriting became a shared effort in which every member contributed more or less equally. Robert Fripp handled production duties for the second album, while Eno added synthesizer to a single track; neither guest, however, produced a marked change in the group’s overall character. Lacking any realistic prospect of broad commercial appeal, Matching Mole disbanded before 1972 ended. Wyatt then embarked on his extended solo career, and Phil Miller moved on to the Canterbury art-rock outfits Hatfield & the North and National Health.
