The Best Beatlesque Powerpop Album Ever ? Cotton Mather - Kontiki Deluxe Edition Rereleased.

Quite possibly the best powerpop album of the nineties has been rereleased in a deluxe edition.

Cotton Mather's Kontiki was originally released in 1997 and is the best of their three great albums. Their back catalogue has been out of print for some time now, so it's great to see this back in print in any format - let alone with all of this great bonus material. It's released by Cotton Mather mainman Robert Harrison's own label and may not stay in print that long, so don't miss out on the chance to discover your new favorite album.
If you can imagine Guided By Voices working their way through Rubber Soul / Revolver era Beatles, you've got an idea of what to expect.

The bonus disc includes the following material :
2.1 Homefront Cameo (4-track)
2.2 Pine Box Builder No. 1
2.3 Camp Hill Rail Operator (acoustic)
2.4 Little Star
2.5 Baby Freeze Queen No. 1
2.6 Altar Boy (live to ADAT)
2.7 Flying Annie's Kite
2.8 Innocent Street (acoustic)
2.9 Spin My Wheels (electric)
2.10 Church of Wilson (4-track)
2.11 Private Ruth (acoustic)
2.12 The Gold Gone Days



The official website has this to say :
Austin, Texas band Cotton Mather is preparing to reissue its long out-of-print landmark power pop album Kontiki on Valentine's Day, 2012. The album was originally released in the US in 1997 with little fanfare.

In the UK, however, Kontiki was a smash with Uncut Magazine giving the album five stars and calling it “music to smile yourself to death to.” Mojo said the songs were “brought to life with daring vitality” and in its own five-star review, The Guardian called Kontiki “a bewildering, dizzy thrill.” With the spotlight shining on the album in their homeland, Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher discovered and fell in love with Kontiki. The Gallaghers started talking about the record in the press themselves, helping to spur on a cult following for the album among musicians all over the globe. A fellow Austin-ite and fan from the beginning, Spoon’s Britt Daniel also began to spread the word, and over the years, the adoration of Kontiki continued to grow, leading band leader Robert Harrison to prepare Kontiki (Deluxe Edition).

Released on February 14th, 2012 on Harrison’s own Star Apple Kingdom label, the two-CD deluxe format will include the original album along with four-track demos, acoustic versions and songs that didn't make the final cut. Harrison funded the reissue via a Kickstarter campaign made successful by the many fans that Kontiki created since 1997. The campaign was undoubtedly also helped by the profound endorsements and damn funny presentation captured in this promo film seen here:

Download Pepperisms Vol. 2 Custom Mix

I always wondered why the folks that put out the Pepperisms compilation never released a follow up volume, so I set myself the task of putting one together. I've cast the net a bit wider than the original collection which featured material mostly from the 60s and all showing the influence of the Sgt Peppers album in particular. I've tried to sequence this to sound like a chronological alternate Beatles collection - so we start out with the early merseybeat sound, work our way through Revolver and Sgt Pepper style psychedelia into  heavier and more diverse White Album / Let It Be sounds.

1. Los Shakers - Break It All . Great Hard Days Night style rocker from Uruguay's favourite 60s beat group.
2. The 23rd Turnoff - Flowers are Flowering . Excellent Lennonish Revolver sounds from this 60s Liverpool outfit.
3. Gene Clark - Elevator Operator . Ticket To Ride meets  Paperback Writer on this track from the ex Byrd's first classic solo album.
4. Colours - Helping You Out . Pure McCartney harmony pop from this 60s U.S band.
5. The Spongetones - Eloquent Spokesman . Early Beatles sound plus backwards guitars. What's not to like?
6. Cotton Mather - Spin My Wheels . More backwards guitars here and a very Lennonish vocal from this great 90's indie band, highly indebted to the Beatles.
7. The Fraternal Order of the All - Tomorrow Drop Dead . excellent Tomorrow Never Knows tribute / pastiche.
8. Cheap Trick - Taxman Mr Thief . The Trick's Taxman sequel is heavier than most Beatles material until the vocal harmonies kick in.
9. The Auteurs - Unsolved Child Murder . An Eleanor Rigby for the 90's.
10. Dog Age - I Love You . Beatle loving swedes with a track that could have come from magical Mystery Tour.
11. Lazy Smoke - How Did You Die . Sgt Pepper sounding down to it's mock live intro and outro. And great too.
12. The Aerovons - Children . Recorded at Abbey Road while the Beatles were recording next door this is affectionately derivative.
13. Chris Bell - Better Save Yourself . Abbey Road / Let It Be era cathartic Lennon.
14. The Move - My Marge . McCartney-esque music hall for lovers of Maxwells Silver Hammer and When I'm 64. I know you're out there.
15. Green Pajamas - Scarlet Song . Kitchen sink beatleism - a bit of everything.
16. Lawrence Arabia - Look Like A Fool . Lovely Lennonesque piano number with an incredibly tasteful guitar solo that George would be proud of.
17. Emitt Rhodes - Mother Earth . Rhodes had the late 60's McCartney sound down better than McCartney did in the early 70's.
18. We All Together - Follow Me If You Can . Peruvian Beatles disciples.
19. Samuel F. Scott & The Bunnies on Ponies - Llewellyn . If Yellow Submarine was as psychedelic musically as it is lyrically it might sound a little like this.
20. Unkle Bob - She's Leaving Home . She's Leaving Home done I Want You ( She's So Heavy ) style? Yes please.

As always, if you hear anything you like please support the artists by buying their albums.

If there's a positive response I'll look at putting a third volume together so let me know if you've enjoyed this!

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