Mates of State: Re-Arrange Us

Mates of State: Re-Arrange Us Husband and wife team, Mates of State are back with their fifth full length. Re-Arrange Us is their second album on Barsuk Records and their first record since 2006's Bring It Back. Mates of State have a couple things going for them. Their keyboard driven indie pop sound is fairly unique. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel's harmonies often border on annoying but somehow never cross into that territory. Then there is the cuteness factor. Who can resist a couple of love birds getting on stage and singing their cutesy pop songs? The problem I have always had with Mates of State is them in large quantities. I can pick out some amazing songs throughout their catalog but they have never seemed to put it together for a complete cohesive album. Re-Arrange Us seeks to change that. From the getgo the album is on track. The first song on the album is also the albums first single, "Get Better". From that point on the energy never really falters. There are no slow tempo piano ballads on Re-Arrange Us. A few mid-tempo numbers is the slowest they get. The album is jam packed with hooks but never gets annoyingly cutesy. Besides one or two mediocre tracks, this is by far the best Mates of State has ever sounded. Rating: 8.3/10 MP3: Mates of State "Help! Help!" Buy: iTunes, insound!