No giveaways here. Naming your new album just Peanut is vague enough so it can take you in any direction. And the cover, looking like one of those K-Tel, or any generic label compilation from the late seventies and early eighties will not tell you much either about guitarist Jared Mattson or the music he presents here.
Mattson, who usually works with his brother Jonathan as Mattson 2, is probably more known for his collaborations with Chaz Bundick (Toro y Moi).
And while there are tracks here like ‘Please Come Here’ (sung in Japanese) that might be reminiscent of that collaboration, here, Mattson is, as those guys that recorded the Revolver album would say, “Here, There, And Everywhere”, in a good way, that is.
He covers such a wide ground musical ground, with ‘Burn Down Babylon’ going reggae (of course) ‘She Wanted To Leave’ (Ween cover) visiting sixties psych, ‘Don’t Run’ combines Steely Dan with subtle jazz fusion, and so on.
Such genre-hopping always presents a danger of overdoing it, or not being able to fit into one, any or all of them, but Mattson seems not to have such a problem, as he covers it all with such ease, as he was born with all of them, and showcasing his excellent guitar skills throughout.
Actually, maybe that compilation cover was a giveaway after all.
