Many Sides of the Mattson 2 on Display at Rough Trade NYC
The Mattson 2 – Rough Trade NYC – September 7, 2018
It’s always seemed like having a twin would be fun. Like, in the movies, when identical siblings change places or pull off pranks or Parent Trap–style shenanigans. Twin brothers Jared and Jonathan Mattson, performing as the Mattson 2, certainly do seem to have a lot of fun and take their shape shifting to the next level. The duo’s last few NYC appearances have included a project working with Chaz Bundick and an opening slot for Khruangbin, giving a different feel and style each time. The Mattson 2 transformed multiple times over the course of their show on Friday night at Rough Trade NYC. During the opening slot, they were just the drummer and guitarist in the band, backing Anthony Ferraro as part of Astronauts Etc. Playing mostly songs off the new record, Living in Symbol, the group married synths and guitar to create a sparkling chillwave, slow groovy and poignant with occasional blasts of guitar from Jared Mattson.
After a short break, the stage condensed for just the Mattson 2, Jonathan behind the kit and Jared on a dual-neck Fender bass-guitar combo. During the break, the two chameleoned once more, now ready to deliver a personalized cover of John Coltrane’s classic A Love Supreme, cover to cover, like they do on their recently released album. The twins’ imagining of the jazz epic was scintillating and funky, while maintaining the original’s spiritual integrity. Looping and preprogrammed samples filled in some of the gaps, but mostly it was the Mattsons’ loving, dance-ready interpretation complete with drum freak-outs, Santana-esque guitar solos, melting ambient space and some great Jimmy Garrison impressions on the electric bass. If anyone in the crowd needed reminding, it was a great Coltrane-was-ahead-of-his-time lesson.
Even performing the record in full and with the added embellishments, that portion of the show was only about 25 minutes, so there was plenty of time afterward for the Mattsons to change forms a few more times. Their originals ranged from heady pop from the Bundick collaboration, to surf-rock explorations to buoyant ditties and all points in between. Add in plenty of goofy twin-brother humor between songs and there’s no doubt that the Mattson twins were having plenty of fun up there. —A. Stein | @Neddyo
