Send "Mates of State " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 In the early 2000s, it was not terribly uncommon to meet a punk kid with a soft spot for the Mates of State. Though I'm sure the word "joycore" was often stammered in justification, it actually made a lot of sense: There was an unmistakable DIY spirit to the band's earliest material. Husband-and-wife duo Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner's voices joined in imperfect, occasionally overripe harmony, and their songs were patchwork pieces with seams proudly showing ("We attach parts together until they make a whole song," they once confessed)-- all of which added to their debut record's unique and infectious charm. Unlike much of the impersonal, digitized pop that was emanating from the radio waves or your little sister's primitive, brick-sized mp3 player at the time, My Solo Project was pop music that felt transparently and exhilaratingly human.A decade later, certain core facts remain: Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are still happily married, they are still an organ-and-drums two-piece, and you'd still convulse in a fit of sugar shakes if you found a way to bite into one of their songs. But a funny thing happened somewhere between 2003's rollicking Team Boo and the AM-gold glimmer of 2006's Bring It Back: Gardner and Hammel became pretty great pop songwriters. Their harmonies got more technically sound, their songs moved more fluidly-- basically, the seams don't show anymore. Bring It Back proved that this wasn't necessarily a development for the worse. But the band's last effort, 2008's Re-Arrange Us, was a misstep, not just for the much-cited reason that Gardner traded in her electric organ for a bland-sounding piano, but because the record's overall energy was inert. And if the damn Mates of State can't muster the energy to sound enthusiastic about anything, heaven help the rest of us....full text |
| Outroversion |
| The catchy male and female dualling melodies of past Mates of State offerings are what has kept them in my regular rotation over the past decade, nothing more. When I got the chance to check out the Kansas natives’ latest album I was hoping for a couple of bop-a-long tracks like “Goods (all in your head)” or “Get Better“. In reality I received an album that is likely to be my album of the year (after People’s Key of course…). That Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are Husband and Wife might put people off, worried that it might be a little sugary twee. In reality the fact that they are married is an afterthought to the music and lyricism, which go beyond the boundaries of mere relationships. Mountaintops opens with typical “no way is that just two people” casual fan settler Palimino which embodies everything that makes their music great; upbeat music, luxurious melodies and, hidden behind those are some poignant and affirming lyrics. After that it is as pop as it gets. At first upon hearing “Maracas” I thought ok this is a bit too sweet, but it is undeniably groovy and for better or worse it stays with you for days. This is the only real track like that on the album and I think its inclusion does make this an archetypal album of theirs covering all edges of the spectrum. The darker moments are of course there too, though perhaps not as dark as they may have been known to be in the past, not quite Blonde Redhead but moments like “unless I’m led” do make sure the atmosphere doesn’t get too heady....full text |
| Bobetbagundang |
| After six full length and three EPs spanning in over 14 years of musical career, Mates of State can be considered indie pop veterans in their own right. While many girl-boy groups have emerged lately out of indie buzz machine, Mates of State have architectured their own place with consistency records after records and has not faltered in expressing, or by touring, how much they want to be in the position they are now. To boot, some of their contemporaries have waned away, if not around anymore. The well-beloved husband-and-wife act of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner toured relentlessly after each release carrying with them the whole team- a touring band and two children and crazy load of time management wise-up. For Mountaintops, the group sounded as if they have gruelled for one and a half-year laboring for the right guitar tuning there, the perfect arpeggiator yelping here and more surprises in the pockets of some tracks. “You know you’re not in hell, Palomino/ we were born on the other side, we were wild and living/ wild and living,” “Palomino” begins the climb on Mountaintops, a solid Mates song that introduces us back to their earlier catalogue of catchy, sheer melodies and the same goes for “Maracas.” The best numbers in Mountaintops are where Jason and Kori seem to sing from a personal focal point. Not to mistake that the ’80s revival spunk of “Maracas” or the bouncy handclaps and the Motown vibe in “Total Serendipity” are not grooved on but the quiter, more personal and lyrical songs in Mountaintops crest the most. The endearing gentleness that Kori shows in “Unless I’m Led” and “Desire” is something that Mates of States kept out of view and like a gush of cold wind, blows the listeners away. Both songs tackle relationship, independence and optimism; Kori articulates “But today you feel, so you made me wiser/ I will not be shy again,” in “Desire.” Probably an ode to the lifestyle and their career is “Basement Money,” busting of energy and immediate hooks, “We wait,we don’t give up/ money we don’t need it… I make a living for now/ make a living somehow,” says it all. Completing Mountaintops is “Mistakes” is a genius chorus between the couple where Kori stretches her voice hinting a surrender as Jason sounds certain and grounded in “just remember we all mistakes and no one big slip makes it all go away,” all-out lines. It is not easy to let the “I love you” in “Mistakes,” which can be sound contrived if sung by others but honestly rendered by the two....full text |
Mates of State lyrics Music videoclips
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