Mates Of State Re-Arrange Us CD

On their fifth album, Mates of State deliver a blend of indie rock and keyboard-driven '60s-influenced pop that's reached a peak of sophistication over the course of their eight-year sonic trajectory. Singer/keyboardist Kori Gardner and her husband, singer/drummer Jason Hammel, generate an impressive amount of sound for two people, and whether they're turning out Beatles-flavored vocal harmonies and piano lines on "Jigsaw" or the driving, synthesizer-colored rock of "Now," Gardner and Hammel create a style that's quirky and forceful enough to endear them to indie-rock fans but melodic and mature enough to brand them as pure pop practitioners.

Recording information: Public Hi-Fi Studio; Tarquin Studios; Tiny Telephone.

Photographer: Seth Smoot.

Personnel: Kori Gardner, Jason Hammel (vocals); Christopher Walla (guitar, loops); Peter Katis (guitar, background vocals); Linnea Weiss (cello); Gary Olson (trumpet); Jim Eno (percussion); Ben Gibbard (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Peter Katis.

Spin (p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Adorned with piano and synth, the ten songs on RE-ARRANGE US are fuller, more elegant vessels for the duo's warm, intricate melodies."
Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "[T]he duo are still effervescent....Rest assured that the State of this musical union remains optimistic; it's just more thoughtful now." -- Grade: B+
Alternative Press (p.130) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The intertwining vocal melodies and harmonies -- always one of the duo's big draws -- are well crafted, flowing into rather than stepping over each other..."
Magnet (p.107) - "[T]he powerhouse RE-ARRANGE US is both natural progression and quantum leap. It's notable, too, for matching the Mates' loveliest music to their most doomsayer lyrics."