Mates Of State
Re-Arrange Us
Barsuk Records
By Kevin Hakansson
They’re cute. They’re sweet. They’re versatile. They can write one hell of a pop tune. Oh, and they’re married. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mates of State.
Comprised solely of husband and wife duo Kori Gardner and Jason Hammell, Mates of State seem to be living the dream of one looking to live the dual life of touring musician/domestic partner. By all accounts, the two met in Lawrence, KS in the late '90s while they were both playing guitar in various groups. They've been inseparable since; they began playing as Mates of State not long after meeting, married in 2001, and seemingly continue to pick up steam. Re-Arrange Us shows a pair who, after 10 years together, are still writing fresh, bright pop tunes.
While the two met as guitar players, as mentioned previously, Gardner and Hammell make their livings now as keyboardist and drummer respectively. While Gardner leaned heavily on a rich organ sound on previous MoS recordings, she branches out to include traditional piano and synth sounds on Re-Arrange Us. In fact, she begins and ends the record by tickling the acoustic ivories. Her steady plinking guides the uplifting chorus of the opening "Get Better," while "Lullaby Haze" is just that: it appropriately ends the album with a quaint, sleepy melody.
Strings and guitars frequently join the keyboards, drums and backing vocals (sometimes provided by the likes of Ben Gibbard or Re-Arrange co-producer Chris Walla), but the story here hardly lies in the instrumentation. It's likely that the twee melodies Gardner and Hammell crank out would translate well to virtually any backing band. Never is the band better than on the title track "The Re-Arranger." Both spouses passionately belt out the song's impossibly catchy "Rearrange Us!" chorus.
While both core members of Mates of State are considered the band's vocalists, Gardner carries nearly all the melody on Re-Arrange. That's not to take away from the contribution of Hammell's pipes, though. The two are almost constantly harmonizing, like on the pseudo-electronic sprint "Help Help," or trading passages, like on the folksy, delicate "My Only Offer" or the he said-she said "Jigsaw."
It's likely that if you've taken indie rock's pulse over the last couple years, you've felt the heartbeat of Mates of State. However, it seems that they're just now breaking through and making an impression on mainstream America. They performed "My Only Offer" on Conan O'Brien the night the record was released, and though not performing as Mates of State, joined Feist on David Letterman late last year. It's those kinds of appearances and alliances that leave you thinking that maybe, just maybe, these two are on to something.
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