the first mates of state album with a real 'album' sense.

Track Listing

1. Think Long
2. Fraud In The 80's
3. Like U Crazy
4. Beautiful Dreamer
5. What It Means
6. For The Actor
7. Nature & The Wreck
8. So Many Ways
9. Punchlines
10. Running Out

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16094 in Music
• Released on: 2006-03-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Album Description
Mates of State's unique, often complex, and always catchy pop gems defy genre boundaries. This husband/wife duo has released three previous full-lengths as well as numerous singles and EPs. Though a duo, they never fail to generate an abundance of melody and harmony via monster, bass-heavy organ, creative drumming, and alternately lushly layered and playfully dueling vocals. "Bring It Back" is Mates Of State at their complex yet lighthearted best: impeccably layered music that rewards attention, analysis, and repeated listens, but that's also instantly enchanting, drawing you in at once with hook upon incredible hook.

Amazon.com
There are songs designed for listening, for dancing, and for singing in the shower--Bring It Back hits all the bases. For their Barsuk Records debut, husband and wife duo Kori (vocals, organ) and Jason (vocals, drums) kick up more of an exuberant ruckus than ever before. They may be a twosome, but over a dozen musicians guest on their fuller-sounding fourth album, including infant daughter Magnolia (kazoo and "singing," i.e. cooing). Nicknamed "Bubs," she's also name-checked on "Like You Crazy" ("Bubs noticing bees in the air"). While the Gardner-Hammels aren't exactly competing with the sprawling Polyphonic Spree for "big band" supremacy, they do employ a choir on "Running Out," while additional instruments include bass ("Beautiful Dreamer"), trumpet ("For the Actor"), guitar ("Punchlines"), and viola ("Nature and the Wreck"). The centerpiece of their high-spirited sound, however, remains their irresistible hooks and exquisite harmonies, put to best effect on the stuttering "Fraud in the '80s" and bouncy "Beautiful Dreamer." Sometimes Kori takes the lead ("Running Out"), sometimes Jason ("What It Means"), but their voices are so tuned into each other that it's hard to pick a favorite (unlike most dual-vocalist bands where one inevitably outshines the other). Like the Beach Boys and the Turtles at their most euphoric, Bring It Back bursts with all the joy and vigor listeners have come to expect--and more of it. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

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Customer Reviews

4.5 Stars... The breakout album for Mates of State
Until now, Mates of State has been viewed too much as a curiousity item. "Look! no guitars! and only 2 people in the band! and they're married to each other!" Mates of States have been at it since the late 90s and now release their 4th album.

On "Bring It Back" (10 tracks, 45 min.), the husband and wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel that comprises Mates of State open up their musical landscape, giving it a fuller sound, and to great effect. (If you are not familiar with Mates of State, their sound is similar to, say, Aqueduct.) Check out songs like "Beautiful Dreamer", an all-out rocker (remember, no guitars!). Kori's keyboards are much more fleshed out musically than ever, and Jason's drumming is as hard as ever, but the harmonizing vocals remain one of the best assets of the band. Other highlights of the album include "What It Means", a short but sweet song, "For the Actor", another harder song, and the closer track "Running Out", a 7 min. epic song that starts as off as a sweet song, only to bust loose, what a great way to finish the album.

"Bring It Back" is a breakout album for Mates of State, and one of the best album of 2006. If you have a chance to see them live, don't miss them. I saw them this weekend at the Desdemona Festival in Cincinnait, and they put on a terrific show. Highly recommended.

MAtes of State: Bring it Back (Barsuk)
If there is anyone worthy of making fresh the overall wretched moniker of "indie pop darlings" it is a married couple Mates of State. Indie Pop darlings was an overall easy and corny joke and rundown upon the fact that any other pop album these days are either shiny, unclassifiable, the kind of sway your head to, or simply the ones your little brother/sister will quick get to before they hit their Slipknot and Pussycat Dolls' phase. Well, Mates of State is an absolute proof of not only do indie pop darlings fit them well enough, but they also prove that a joined group that plays together stays together long enough to hop onto another record label. (They were once on Polyvinyl, now they are residing on Barsuk Records.)

Opening with the basic starter, "Think Long", they play an ordinary Indie candidate so well that we barely notice that this band is drums and keyboard. The middle will snap you out of it and have you remember that this album is a melody scanner; an album that should forever be imprinted in your mind. It's when they play "Fraud in the 80's" that you raise the mandatory balloons and start shaking the feet. The chorus is also very considered catchy enough to get you zoning out. With the Mates of State, usually what you will get is a few melodies that will have you guessing that it is home-recorded (Yahoo! Even called the melodies "minimalist"), but "Fraud In The 80's" is a first sign that Mates of State will surely pull their power together to make them sound like there are two more people in the band packing such Garage sound.

"Like U Crazy" is an ultimate love song for the flawed, in where the lines "I like you crazy" doesn't really try to get into your brain, but they don't save the shining moment for just one spot into the song. "Like U Crazy" relies not on the power of the chorus. "Beautiful Dreamer", unfortunately, is not a cover, but in fact a portal to say "a dreamer is a beautiful mess" and have you believe it the whole way. The song even sounds long enough to be an opera you near missed out on. While "What It Means" tries to hold your attention enough to notice that the song isn't as short as it seems, "For The Actor" bursts into the scene, proving no further disappointment with the album. The music makes you wonder if this was pilfered from the Twin Cinema sessions.

"Nature and the Wreck" is THE calm piece of the album that promises never to overload on bombastic pop, but to have you focus on the overall beauty of mutual co-dependency. It has that certain quality of a love couple who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Just enough to keep you smiling as they near push the human beat addition in the so-so "So Many Ways". And while "Punchlines" bombards your ears with finesse in every move, the illuminating ender "Running Out" is just the song to help take the album to accessible heights in new millennium AM satisfaction. It is even a song that is begging for you to push the repeat button.

I never thought that Mates of State would really get to this very level, but these are the same true Indie Pop darlings (yes, I am using that very loosely) that can create just as much power as any other dynamic Indie Rock album without the consistent use of the standard Rock instruments. And if the Dresden Dolls could push an idea like that, why can't you count on a band like Mates of State to try and top the same idea?

More polished, less hyper
My feelings about this album are that it's better, but it also has some downsides that the other albums didn't have because they were so hyper and that's that they are too repetitious with the ends of songs and that should just know when to cut it off. Other than that the music sounds great and they can only get better from here.