Cotton Mather
119,442 plays (11,639 listeners)
A brilliant fusion of the Beatles, Squeeze, Guided By Voices, and some less obvious influences, Austin-based power poppers Cotton Mather are one of those rare power pop groups who transcend their inspirations to create powerful and original music of their own.
Formed in Austin in 1991, the original Cotton Mather (named of course after the famous Puritan preacher and author) lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Robert Harrison; his main foil, guitarist Whit Williams; bassist Matt Hovis; and drummer Greg Thibeaux, who doubled on guitar. This lineup recorded a demo, Crafty Flower Arranger, in 1992, which was never officially released but was widely bootlegged in the wake of the group’s later success. Some tracks were re-recorded in far superior versions on the band’s debut album, 1994’s Cotton Is King. The Squeeze influence is particularly strong on this record; Harrison sounds uncannily like Glenn Tilbrook on several songs.
Hovis and Thibeaux split after Cotton Is King. Williams began to double on bass and Dana Myzer joined as the new drummer. The trio recorded their second album, 1998’s Kontiki, on borrowed equipment in Harrison’s garage, before handing the tapes over to producer Brad Jones to remix and add instruments to. The resulting album, a mélange of lo-fi production tropes and classic pop hooks, was rapturously received in the American pop underground, although its limited distribution kept it from breaking through in any meaningful way. Add the fact that Mizer left the group before the album was even released (although he does appear in the group photo on the sleeve) and it seemed like Cotton Mather were destined to fade into obscurity.
Formed in Austin in 1991, the original Cotton Mather (named of course after the famous Puritan preacher and author) lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Robert Harrison; his main foil, guitarist Whit Williams; bassist Matt Hovis; and drummer Greg Thibeaux, who doubled on guitar. This lineup recorded a demo, Crafty Flower Arranger, in 1992, which was never officially released but was widely bootlegged in the wake of the group’s later success. Some tracks were re-recorded in far superior versions on the band’s debut album, 1994’s Cotton Is King. The Squeeze influence is particularly strong on this record; Harrison sounds uncannily like Glenn Tilbrook on several songs.
Hovis and Thibeaux split after Cotton Is King. Williams began to double on bass and Dana Myzer joined as the new drummer. The trio recorded their second album, 1998’s Kontiki, on borrowed equipment in Harrison’s garage, before handing the tapes over to producer Brad Jones to remix and add instruments to. The resulting album, a mélange of lo-fi production tropes and classic pop hooks, was rapturously received in the American pop underground, although its limited distribution kept it from breaking through in any meaningful way. Add the fact that Mizer left the group before the album was even released (although he does appear in the group photo on the sleeve) and it seemed like Cotton Mather were destined to fade into obscurity.
Top Albums
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Kon Tiki
Cotton Mather
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Kontiki
Cotton Mather Buy- Download Album
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The Big Picture
Cotton MatherBuy- Download Album
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Cotton Is King
Cotton Mather Buy- Download Album
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Shoutbox
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vmxlv wrote:
ну и что?группа действительно неплоха.
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falab wrote:
ну вот БГ добрался и до них
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gary_lankford wrote:
Sorry I missed this great band from the get-go, but awfully glad I finally found them... Too bad the CDs are out of production. May be time for a re-release... :)
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A20thCenturyboy wrote:
Most underrated band ever ...
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emlouise wrote:
gosh dangit!! how do i get hold of their music?
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joeyrockstarr wrote:
SO SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cauleu wrote:
:D lovers
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Switch2015 wrote:
Looking for a copy of Kon Tiki ANYWHERE. PM me if you have any info that could be of use to me :P
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Phillyzero wrote:
May have took Paul Rudd singing My Before and After on Veronica Mars for me to find this band, but I'm glad I did.
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madamtruffle wrote:
Possibly my favorite band of all time.
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jesus_aguado wrote:
'Kon Tiki' is one of the finest pop albums of the 90s
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guanaquero wrote:
great band!
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flamemusic wrote:
wow, first shout! big up the mather!
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Recent Activity
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alanlaunder added Cotton Mather to alanlaunder’s library. Monday evening
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stuart1861 tagged Cotton Mather with ‘power pop’. Wednesday evening
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sumsi0706 wrote about Various Artists – Veronica Mars Soundtrack in Top 50 Alben Stand: Januar 2010. last week
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sumsi0706 wrote about Various Artists – Veronica Mars Soundtrack in Top 50 Alben Stand: Januar 2010. last week
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dinkaz, mythfit, Zyfoe and 1 other person added Cotton Mather to their libraries. last month
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vtrarus555 tagged Cotton Mather with ‘rock’. last month
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Tamorus, Manja07, edyardSh and 1 other person added Cotton Mather to their libraries. last month
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Flike tagged Cotton Mather with ‘indie rock’. last month
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MagiqueMushroom, adrianndunn, AndreiN7 and 20 other people added Cotton Mather to their libraries. last month
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baileyworks created the wiki page for Baby Blue. November 2009
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