Review: The Mattson 2 – Agar

Jazz rock, amiright? The Mattson 2’s latest album provides enough latitude, enough shape-shifting musical identities and go-for-the-throat thrill to snatch the term back from the terribly stilted ghetto of quasi-jam/easy-listening bands for retired hippy dads and local band leaders who like to rip off their players. Comprising a drummer playing a mix of hard bop, decidedly Eastern rhythms and a guitarist with more pedals than a roving, pedestrian-powered bar, this duo moves effortlessly from raga-inspired, quadruple-time burners to sliding, looping ambient passages that turn on a dime. This is some inspired stuff. If you thought that jazz rock was only dumbed-down covers played at your friend’s wedding reception/corporate event, Mattson 2 will make you seriously reconsider the endless possibilities between those two worlds. –Ryan Hall