MATES OF STATE

Married musicians KORI GARDNER and JASON HAMMEL -- aka MATES OF STATE -- released their latest long-player on May 20. Despite its title, RE-ARRANGE US is not a remix album (as I initially assumed). With age, the band seems to be shedding some of its trademark quirks & eccentricities and settling into a more refined, mature sound. Thus, new listeners may find this to be a most warm and welcoming effort, while long-time fans bitch & moan (& yawn) over the blanketing lushness of the production and the relatively unadventurous song structures.

Me, I'm kind of liking it. Probably more than IMPERIAL TEEN's last LP, which seemed to have similar, "grown-up" ambitions.

MATES OF STATE on MySPACE.

From the LP RE-ARRANGE US, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Now" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]
[MP3] "My Only Offer"
[VID] "Get Better"

From the LP BRING IT BACK, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Beautiful Dreamer" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]
[MP3] "Nature and the Wreck" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]