Hooves on the Turf

There’s little in Mates of State that can be pin-pointed as lacking. The marriage of lively drums and rich organs is a natural click, and Jason Hammel’s folksy voice provides an earthy texture to Kori Gardner’s smooth. Yet, the band is a hit or miss. Most conversations I overheard seemed to indicate that those holding privileged press passes and special tickets at Mercury Lounge’s “secret show” loved the it, but I found most of the songs kept slipping off, there was little to grab on to. Despite a “fucked up cable” that led to Jason’s microphone problems, I enjoyed the cover of “These Days” the most, clearly because it easily stuck out as a great song among the other fleeting ones. The dusty timbre of his voice gave the cover a nice tone, though the addition of violin and cello overdramatized it. No matter which way you sing it, “These Days” is inherently a sullen song; I’m not a big fan of emphasizing the sadness when it’s already present in the very molecules of the tune. The presence of the two brothers on violin and cello was an enjoyable presence nonetheless, and you probably need to be in a certain state of mind to adore the music of Mates of State.

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