Mates of State

Husband-and-wife team Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner seemingly make gorgeous indie-pop songs as casually as the rest of us shower in the morning. Much has changed since they released their 2006 debut on Barsuk, Bring It Back; they've moved to New York and had another daughter, for starters. But Re-Arrange...

By Ben Westhoff

June 5, 2008

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Husband-and-wife team Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner seemingly make gorgeous indie-pop songs as casually as the rest of us shower in the morning. Much has changed since they released their 2006 debut on Barsuk, Bring It Back; they've moved to New York and had another daughter, for starters. But Re-Arrange Us continues their incredible run of insatiably catchy cuts, led by "Get Better," "Help Help" and the title track, which speaks to the difficulties of marriage and pregnancy. For the most part brushing aside the experimental flourishes that informed some of their earlier work, here the two instead focus on what they do best, setting oft-devastating lyrics to electric-organ- and drum-based tunes. The result? Their best album yet.

Ben Westhoff

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