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October 13, 2008
Posted by kramer
Yeah, that is how Mates of State were introduced this year at Lollapalooza. I thought that was a pretty bold statement at the time but now I might just be buying into the hype. As you may remember, one of the top bands of my first Lollapalooza experience were Mates of State (along with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Booka Shade and the Ting Tings...more on them in just a little bit). I finally got off my behind and downloaded their 2008 album THE RE-ARRANGER and I have to say, it is one of the shortest pieces of rock bliss that I have found in quite some time.
Mates of State are definitely not doing anything new. They are a male/female duo with piano and drums that just happen to be together, in a band and in a relationship. The catch of why they are so good is what they are doing that no one is doing today. The male/female harmonies on RE-ARRANGE US are so...well perfect that you can't help but tap your foot or in my case, jump around the room and attempt to dance like the white boy that I am.
The entire album is solid and just like most recordings today, the weaker songs are towards the end. That doesn't take away much from the album as the songs all blend together into one short lived dance revolution (yep, I went there). Since it clocks in just under 40 minutes, some people were a bit disappointed with the release. However, since this was my first experience with them, it was a great introduction. Long enough to get me hooked but not too long where I get bored or it becomes overkill.
If you like catchy melodies, crisp harmonies and just solid rock/pop, you could do far worse than the Mates of State. My personal standouts on the disc would be: The Re-Arranger, My Only Offer, Blue and Gold Print and You Are Free.
http://www.myspace.com/matesofstate
And also, since I have finally bought some new music recently, look for some more reviews this week of Booka Shade, Sharon Jones and possibly Keane.
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COMMENTS "Get Better" is my favorite track. "Forget your politics for a while Let the color schemes arrive" - good lyric. The 'best rock band around' ballyhoo is preposterous but if you strip away the hype you're left with a charming little band. Nice meeting you in Nashville. |
