Matson Jones

With two cellos, an upright base, and a drummer, Matson Jones isn’t your average band. The two cellists, Martina and Anna, provide tin-can-filtered vocals that pierce through their frantic bow work. I’ve seen Matson Jones play several times in Fort Collins years ago, as well as Martina and Anna play over cell phones in a coffee shop while one was in Italy on a study abroad program. Their sound is so rich live, I didn’t know if they could capture it on a recording. While this self-titled album is a great sounding piece of work, it loses some of the pacing and tonal shifts that come through while they play live. It’s a shame that Matson Jones didn’t survive past this album and one EP. Given the chance to mature, Matson Jones would have been a hell of a band.