“Like hot, shiny Raspberries fortified with the
elevated argument of Squeeze and Attractions-era Elvis Costello.” — Rolling
Stone on “The Cotton Mather Pledge”
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Robert
Harrison of Cotton Mather as photographed by Valerie Fremin.
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See Cotton Mather live in Austin, TX on
Weds., May 24th!
KUTX 98.9 Presents @ 3Ten Austin City Limits Live (w/ Wireteree, Slowmo Drags) (TICKETS)
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PLAY, POST
& SHARE
Read about “The Cotton Mather Pledge” in
Rolling Stone and hear the track at the links below!
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Texas
Monthly kicked off the “Songs From The I Ching” project on November 16th, 2015. Read
about it here.
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“One thing I’ve always liked about Cotton Mather music
is that it’s always winking at you.” – Robert
Harrison of Cotton Mather
It took 15 years for Cotton Mather to return with 2016’s Death of The Cool
(released July 19th, 2016),
the first collection of songs compiled from band leader Robert Harrison’s ambitious, possibly impossible aim to write 64
songs, one for each hexagram of the I Ching, the ancient text which he refers
to as an “extraordinary book about ordinary life.”
Now, in what seems like the passing of just 15
minutes, Cotton Mather released Wild
Kingdom on April 7th,
and it has quickly been hailed as some of the best work of the band’s career with
the Austin Chronicle being one to comment
that “The ability to take personal obsessions and make them accessible defines
great artists. Cotton Mather wears
that mark proudly.” Paste says, “Smart
melodies and lyrics makes Wild Kingdom a satisfying listen:
heady, catchy, fun,” and Popmatters
insists, “Trust us, everything this band touches is gold.”
Wild
Kingdom brings together another
11 tracks, following up the 11-song Death of The Cool, and the
three-track “Cotton Mather with Nicole
Atkins” EP (released December 30th,
2016), that are both also a part of the I Ching song cycle. To date, 30 of
the “Songs From The I Ching” have
been released.
Listen
to a 23-song playlist of album tracks, non-album tracks, and demos here.
Harrison and company will return to the studio soon to continue work on the
project following a headlining appearance presented by KUTX 98.9 at 3Ten Austin City Limits Live on May 24th,
which follows-up the band’s triumphant set supporting Spoon at SXSW this past
March. Tickets
available here.
“Kontiki
gave me something to shoot for,” Spoon
leader Britt Daniel once said of Cotton Mather’s 1997 underground
classic album. In addition to praise from musicians, the record was especially
loved by the UK press, with both Uncut
and The Guardian awarding it
five-star ratings. Like the instantly memorable pop songs that made (and make) Kontiki
influential – a two-disc reissue released in 2012 received similar praise all
over again, and Kontiki was also finally released on vinyl at the end of 2016 –
Wild
Kingdom continues in the Robert
Harrison tradition of impeccable song craft.
Wild
Kingdom, the latest album by Cotton Mather, is out now, and comprises
another portion of the 64-track “Songs
From The I Ching” project that also includes the 11-song Death
of The Cool album (released July
19th, 2016) and the three-track “Cotton
Mather with Nicole Atkins” (released December
30th, 2016.)
Visit ichingsongs.com
to read Robert Harrison’s in-depth
song commentaries explaining the relationship between each individual track and
the I Ching hexagram it is based on.
Robert
Harrison of Cotton Mather is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
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Cotton Mather
Wild
Kingdom
(The Star Apple Kingdom)
Out Now
Track Listing:
01. The Cotton Mather Pledge (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY
| MP3)
02. Fighting Through (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
03. High Society (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
04. Hijinks Dad (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
05. Better Than A Hit (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
06. King William (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
07. California (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
08. Girl With A Blue Guitar (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
10. The Army
09. It’s Better Not To Be The King (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
11. I Volunteer
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Cotton Mather
Death
of The Cool
(The Star Apple Kingdom)
Out Now
Track Listing:
01. The Book of Too Late Changes (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
02. Close To The Sun (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
03. The Middle of Nowhere
04. Candy Lilac (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
05. Life of The Liar (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
06. The Land of Flowers
07. Never Be It
08. Queen of Swords
09. Waters Raging
10. Child Bride (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
11. The End of DeWitt Finley (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
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Cotton Mather
“Cotton Mather with Nicole Atkins” EP
(The Star Apple Kingdom)
Out Now
Track Listing:
01. Call Me The Witch (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
02. Faded (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
03. Girl Friday
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“Songs From The I Ching” Master Song
List (as of May 9th, 2017)
Just added! The acoustic
demo of the Death of The Cool track “The
Land of Flowers”
Hexagram # | Song Title | “I Ching” Hexagram Name |
Where Available | Listening Links
#1 | Close To The Sun | The Creative | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#2 | The Middle of Nowhere | The Receptive | on Death of The Cool
#3 | The Land of Flowers | Beginning | non-album track
(Acoustic Demo Version) (SOUNDCLOUD
| MP3)
#3 | The Land of Flowers | Beginning | on Death of The Cool
#4 | Child Bride | Youthful Folly | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#5 | Never Be It | Waiting | on Death of The Cool
#6. Life of the Liar | Contention | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#7 | The Army (Acoustic Version) | The Army | non-album
track | (SOUNDCLOUD)
#7 | The Army | The Army | on Wild Kingdom
#8 | Candy Lilac | Union | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#9 | High Society | Little Accumulation | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#11 | California | Advance / Peace | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#12 | The End of DeWitt Finley | Standstill | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#13 | The Cotton Mather Pledge | Seeking
Harmony/Fellowship Among Men | on Wild
Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY
| MP3)
#14 | Call Me The Witch | Possession In Great Measure |
on “Cotton Mather with Nicole Atkins” EP (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#15 | It’s Better Not To Be The King | Modesty | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#16 | Girl Friday | Delight | on “Cotton Mather with
Nicole Atkins” EP
#18 | Shadow The Star | Remedying | non-album track | (SOUNDCLOUD)
#21 | Fighting Through | Biting Through | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#22 | White Gold | Adornment | non-album track | (SOUNDCLOUD
| MP3)
#23 | Queen of Swords | Falling Away | on Death of The Cool
#24. The Book of Too Late Changes | The Return | on Death of The Cool | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#25. I Volunteer | Without Falsehood | on Wild Kingdom
#28 | Carnival Off My Back | Great Exceeding | non-album
track | (SOUNDCLOUD)
#29 | Waters Raging | The Abysmal | on Death of The Cool
#37 | King William | The Household | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#44. Better Than A Hit | Encountering | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#52 | Way of The Samurai | Keeping Still/The Mountain |
non-album track | (SOUNDCLOUD)
#53. Girl With A Blue Guitar | Gradual Progress | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
#56 | Hijinks Dad | The Wanderer | on Wild Kingdom | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY)
#64. Faded | Before Completion/Not Yet Fulfilled | non-album
track (Robert Harrison vocal version) | (SOUNDCLOUD
| MP3)
#64. Faded | Before Completion/Not Yet Fulfilled | on “Cotton
Mather with Nicole Atkins” EP | (SOUNDCLOUD
| SPOTIFY | MP3)
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Cotton Mather Links
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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion
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