Mates of State Mountaintops Barsuk Records 2011

Mates of State Mountaintops Barsuk Records 2011 CAT# BARK119LP

The first track, "Palomino", is quite the statement piece from Mates of State. It's huge piece of refined pop. It's cinematic and you've probably heard it in commercials or on the radio, it's that kind of thing. Then, right after that, the husband and wife duo hit you again with the track, "Maracas", which is just as perfect. Just a bouncy rhythm, catchy lyrics, and it'll give you an immediate sugar rush.

And, if you only had the album for those two songs, it wouldn't be a bad thing. However, the whole LP is filled with hits. Gone are the chaotic back and forth of their duo's first albums, this features a full band and a much more focused sound. The kids, they hate it, they still want the bashed out sounds and shouted vocals. But, there's nothing wrong with enjoying this album, it's like finally admitting you like Fleetwood Mac. Sure, some of your cool points are lost, but at least you're being honest with yourself.

Palamino Video

Mates of State Team Boo Polyvinyl Records 2003

Mates of State Team Boo Polyvinyl Records 2003 CAT #PRC-065

Of the early Mates of State releases, this sits right below Bring It Back in terms of release year and quality. Mates of State's unabashedly cute brand of indie-pop was just about perfect at this point. The chaotic back and forth husband and wife vocals are thrown at you from all directions. Sung with a naivete that would rival Jonathan Richman the two go back and forth in their song-speak. The sounds blast out of the speaker, the organ riffs, keyboard lines, and steady drums are exciting on the uptempo songs. The only reason it falls short of Bring it Back is the duo had yet to perfect their slow jams on Team Boo. The love jams aren't bad, they're just not perfected like they were on the proceeding LP.

The album also features some names that made Mates of State's sound bigger. They brought along Jim Croslin of the often forgotten indie-pop great, Beulah, along with Jim Eno of Spoon (who Croslin also played with) to produce the album. The two get a big sound out while still not employing guitars. They effectively highlighted the chaotic pop and made more sense of everything. As a whole, Team Boo is a little more accessible to mainstream pop fan than the prior albums. Still, a Jennifer Lopez or Christina Aguilera fan wasn't about to touch this, but a Avril Lavigne fan, maybe.

Gotta Get a Problem

Mates of State Our Constant Concern Polyvinyl 2002

Mates of State Our Constant Concern Polyvinyl 2002 CAT# PRC-046

So much cuteness, just so much love, and melody, and cuteness...and yelling. Mates of State liked to yell a lot.

I'm a sucker it, guy-girl back and forth lyrical conversations, unpredictable bursts of keyboards, and the screamed chorus'. In fact, I was just recently discussing the attributes of an Illinois band called Wolfie with a friend. Wolfie was this out of tune, chaotic, twee-pop band that employed boy-girl vocals. As much as we both liked Wolfie for the amateur charm, we agreed, if there's a group that perfected the short lived late-90's twee-pop sound, it was Mates of State.

This album proves the theory, even though I consider it on the bottom rung of the groups total output, it's still charming and worth a few spins. At the time, Mates of State was touring heavily with the likes of locals, the Anniversary. The album was constructed on the road to follow up their debut, My Solo Project. The nervous energy of a debut record is gone and the you can tell the two were trying to concentrate on being less abrasive with their chaotic bursts. That said, there's still plenty of highlights. And, their exploration into straight pop is pleasant. They'd perfect their blend of chaotic twee-pop and guitar-less radio pop on later albums, but this is a good in between.

Uber Legitimate

Mates of State Crushes The Covers Mixtape Polyvinyl 2010

Mates of State Crushes The Covers Mixtape Polyvinyl 2010 CAT#PRC-9140

I don't know the history behind the release, if this came out as a tape first or whatever, but it's a compilation of covers Mates of State put together.  There are cover tunes by Fleetwood Mac, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and a host of others.  This particular version was a limited edition Record Store Day clear vinyl pressing.

The whole premise and selection of covers is undeniably cute.  The husband and wife team obviously picked tunes important to them and recorded them at their home studio with the exception of drum tracks laid down in a studio.

Due to the group's consistent boy/girl vocal approach, they are able to place their own stamp on virtually every song.  This is especially true of "Son Et Lumier" by Mars Volta which was shortened considerably, but it's almost unrecognizable.  Even a classic like "Second Hand News" by Fleetwood Mac is true to the original, but got a lot of the Mates' personality stuck to it.  They also turned Tom Waits' "Long Way Home" into indie-Stadium Rock, it's freaking huge.  My favorite track though is the Vashti Bunyan song, "17 Pink Sugar Elephants", in which the group got their daughter to sing on the track...so, undeniably cute.

17 Pink Sugar Elephants
Lawrence.com Bio with video discussing the Lawrence roots of Kori Gardner

Mates of State My Solo Project Polyvinyl Record Co. 2000

Mates of State My Solo Project Polyvinyl Record Co. 2000 CAT# PRC-061-1

So, I watched a YouTube video and finally verified that 1/2 of this band is legitimately local to Kansas, not just formed here.  Kori Gardner was born in Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  Although, she moved away at a young age, her family is rooted in Lawrence and it's well known she came back to Lawrence for college.  Her other half, Jason Hammel, is a Minnesotan, he came to Lawrence for college and left town with Kori by his side.

This is the first album the two released after they had left Lawrence for the greener pastures of California.  It's chaotic and filled with huge pop hooks.  It caught the attention of indie hipsters and the ire of many Lawrence, KS locals.  People were mad at them for leaving, despite that no one paid the two piece attention when they booked shows locally.  The couple still speaks highly of the Lawrence and have stated in interviews they contemplated moving back to raise their family.  However, at this time it appears clear the two are firmly entrenched on the East Coast with children.

To draw a parallel, this album is about a million miles away from the band's current sound.  While the pop hooks and tendencies are firmly entrenched on My Solo Project, it's built around Pixies dynamics and jumps from one idea to the next rapidly.  The band's newer recordings consist of insanely good pop songs, well thought out and relatively harmless.  My Solo Project sound bombs pop goodness at you.  The two scream back and forth at each other, basically, you're not going to hear the songs on this LP at the Gap while shopping for khakis.

It begs the question, which era of Mates of State is better?  Part of me loves the pop hits of the new albums.  But, overall, if I want something to break shit to, I'm putting this on.  I love the unpolished sounds and the rawness of it.  The bad ideas that didn't get kicked out by a flashy producer or pop smarts, those moments make this album enduring.

A Control Group
I Have Space
Everyone Needs An Editor

Mates Of State Bring It Back Polyvinyl 2005

Mates Of State Bring It Back Polyvinyl 2005 CAT #PRC-105-1

So, the beginnings of this band starts in Lawrence, KS.  The now married, Kori Garnder and Jason Hammel, were playing in bands in Lawrence, KS, separately.  They started dating, played together in the Lawrence band called Vosotros.  When that band ended, the two became Mates of State and played a few shows locally.  Then they moved to California and hit the big time.  Some people loved them just for the connection to the scene.  But, a lot of people called them sell outs.  A lot of rumors went around about the band; how they left due to feeling unappreciated and always hated the Lawrence scene, how they talked shit in California on Cow-Town, Kansas.  I remember when the My Solo Project album came to KJHK people would call just to complain that we played it.

Truth was, Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner weren't planning to be a full time band.  They were planning a life together.  When Hammel got accepted to a Med school in San Francisco, they moved.  Gardner started a teaching career, Hammel began further schooling.  They recorded some tunes and an album, it got attention and Mates of State became a full time gig.  The two would also wed one another, making their cute indie-pop even cuter.

Further, to the dismay of the haters, I'm not even sure the either member is a Kansas native.  Maybe Gardner is?  I don't know.  But, Hammel came to Kansas for college from Minnesota. So, other than forming in Lawrence, KS, this band isn't all that local.  Looking back, I'm not sure people had any right to be pissed about anything.  Screw it though, I'll claim them as a Lawrence band, they're awesome.

They are a great indie-pop duo.  And, I can't stress how much cuter they are knowing they are married with children.  I mean, that's freaking rad.  Kids, marriage, cool indie rock tunes, it's like Yo La Tengo without all the Velvet Underground (that is no way a knock on Yo La Tengo).  This is the duo's 4th album and in my opinion, the best they have put out.  It's full of hits.  Songs just sound ripe for movie soundtracks, commercials, and television.  You cannot deny the album's pop sensibilities and charm.  You can find a new favorite song every time you put this one on.

Yep, a rock video. Like U Crazy
For the Actor