Countryman by Mathis Hunter

Mathis Hunter is a true rock ‘n’ roll journeyman — an Atlanta music renaissance man to some, a Southern rocker of the highest mystical order to others. Somewhere between the post-punk funk of his former band the Selmanaires, and the full tilt boogie of Noot d’ Noot, Hunter reconnected with his roots. On his sophomore solo LP, Countryman, the multi-instrumentalist twists a melange of psychedelic classic rock excursions into the phantasmagoria of the idlewild South. Songs such as “Ley Lines,” “Aquamarine,” and “The Swirl” are built around lush Gibson Firebird, Fender Rhodes, and strange synthesizer arrangements that take shape as the first full flowering of Hunter’s drive toward pop grandeur.

Hunter’s 2010 solo debut, Soft Opening, featured his first forays into heavily layered soundscapes culled from equal parts Summer of Love-era Traffic and the Rolling Stones with ‘90s British rock ala Primal Scream and Storm in Heaven era Verve. Countryman raises the stakes as Hunter steps out as a solo artist once again, with contributions from Frosted Orange/Purkinje Shift drummer Lee Corum, pedal steel, slide guitar, and piano from members of Sailing To Denver, and keyboards from longtime collaborator Rich Morris.

With so many Anglophile influences converging here, there still is something inherently Southern that comes home to roost on Countryman’s title track; a song bound by a looseness and rhythmic fusion that reveals a more exotic side of the South. Glimpses of polychromatic dream sequences scattered throughout take shape as blue-eyed cosmic funk and soul colliding headfirst with Krautrock rhythms and visceral guitar textures. There’s no doubt when all of these elements are amplified, Hunter’s roots form a swelling, and quintessential guitar-oriented space Southern rock opus.

RIYL: Verve, Primal Scream, The Darkside, The Allman Brothers Band

Mathis Hunter is a true rock ‘n’ roll journeyman — an Atlanta music renaissance man to some, a Southern rocker to others. Somewhere between the post-punk funk of his former band the Selmanaires, and the full tilt boogie of Noot d’ Noot, Hunter reconnected with his roots.

This page managed by Morphius, distributor for certain titles of Mathis Hunter in various formats worldwide.