Part singer-songwriter, part fat beats, & part hotel-jazz-standard-hipster-piano-trio fronted by a sinfully delicious chanteuse-next-door with a voice straight outta the 1940s? Sounds good to me. And, by the way, it sounded better than good to me. Mattision, the Brooklyn-via-Kent, Ohio trio are a strangely fascinating enigma in world of the NYC indy scene. The project is the brainchild of drummer Pete Sustarsic & songwriter/pianist Kate Mattison when, in 2003, the two friends began banging out tempo-changing songs with lush dissonant piano chords, & soon added bassist Jay Steinhauer to complete the curious sound. Each song was so different, nostalgic, & poignant, although at times reminding me of my most blissfully inebriated moments in life. their neo-AM Radio songs sound like how songs should sound: well-crafted & never calculable. Seeing them live is the real divulgence- Ms. Mattison’s voice is unforgettable, smoky, & warm, & the coyness in her performance had me biting at my finger. ~Avi F. (Party Revs, March 2006)

www.myspace.com/mattison

Aaron Stout Queens Live In Caskets (Monotreme) Ive had the privilege of having had a copy of Aaron Stouts debut record Queens Live In Caskets on CDR now for quite some time and now thanks to the wonderful folk at Monotreme this little gem will now be readily available to all mankind. Queens Live In Caskets is a fragile and varied wonder by young singer-songwriter Stout, a man with a rich and distinctive voice like treacle laced with arsenic. It begins with the slow, march-like rhythm of The Coronation, which is reminiscent of early Bowie pop, before slowly fading into the simple beauty of Space Station, a song that showcases Stouts ease at understated beauty. However it is in the two of final tracks of the record that his finest work is left to shine. The ghostly and haunting Fountain Of Youth complete with its eerie whistled backing proves to be the records most beguiling number and is followed by the Papa M like splendour of The Ballad Of Curtis Jones, both of which are songs that demonstrate Stouts ability to create much out of little. Queens Live In Caskets is a record full of understated wonder as well as hidden treats and layers, ones that are only really revealed as you become more familiar with the record. A bit like finding a gracious new friend with a wealth of stories to tell. -Luke Drozd

www.myspace.com/aaronstout