Rockbites: Mates Of State launch US/European tour for LP 2

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January 2002 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

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Mates Of State launch US/European tour for LP 2
25 January 2002

San Francisco vocal/electropop duo Mates Of State released their second album this week, Our Constant Concern, on Danville, Illinois’ Polyvinyl records. It’s a superfresh set of gorgeous, minimalist vocal pop that’s close to exploding with juicy, wholesome goodness.
    No, not too many rock records inspire food metaphors, but this one definitely comes across as good enough to eat.
    The band (the newly married couple of keyboardist & vocalist Kori Gardner and drummer & vocalist Jason Hammel) recorded the 10-track set last year in Los Angeles with producer/multi-instrumentalist Dave Trumfio (Aluminum Group, OK Go, The Pulsars, Rico Bell). A friend of theirs, videographer Danny McCullough (no relation to the bassist who played with The Animals), sat in on trumpet.
    The mood on Our Constant Concern is so insistently up that it’s a little bemusing as you get acquainted with the record. But as with all enduring music, it stretches you a bit in directions that maybe you didn’t know needed stretching. In terms of musicality, Gardner and Hammel do more with two instruments plus their voices than a hundred other lush, radio-friendly, commercial productions combined.
    Tracks are Hoarding It For Home, 10 Years Later, Über Legitimate, Girls Singing, I Know And I Said Forget It, Quit Doin’ It, A Duel Will Settle This, Clean Out, Halves And Have-Nots, and As Night As Now.
    Mates Of State began a major US/European on Tuesday, which continues through mid April. Check our link for dates.
    With a grateful smile on our faces, we give Our Constant Concern four bites out of five.

Rockbites ratings  5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying.

| Mates Of State | | MOS on Polyvinyl | | Hoarding It For Home (full length MP3) | | tour dates | | discography | | top of page |

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