Mattson 2 - Agar [CD]

2014 release from the guitar-and-drums twins produced by Thomas Campbell and John X. Volaitis (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Phoenix). Named for the gelatinous substance that binds and connects items in a petri dish, the album shimmers and shakes with sagely nods to the past and the soaring modern wizardry of Jared's untamed guitars and Jonathan's tribally hard-bop drumming. With Campbell and Volaitis at the helm, AGAR is awash with the sun and surf as much as it is mysterious metal jazz. It glistens with a beautiful weirdness, conjuring images of neon-light rain dances and fireworks in darkening summer skies.