March 23, 2006 | Posted by David B. at 5:58 PM

The glow up above

photo

I first saw Mates of State a couple years ago, when they opened for Rainer Maria at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA. I had no idea what to expect, especially since the act before them was a kid sitting on the front of the stage, strumming an acoustic guitar and mumbling. I surely didn't expect a husband-and-wife team, banging out perfect little pop tunes on a drum set, keyboards, and nothing else. It was amazing, and they blew Rainer Maria out of the water.

Mates of State - Fraud In The 80's.

This is from their new album Bring It Back, which is their first record for their new label, the great Barsuk (also the current or former home to Rilo Kiley, Death Cab For Cutie and They Might Be Giants).

Fun, right? I haven't heard the whole record yet, but reputable sources (and Pitchfork!) seem to like it. It came out on Tuesday, and you can pick it up any damn place, including Amazon and Insound.

PS Coincidentally, the band's playing a sold-out show at The Middle East tonight. How's that for weird?

*** Update, 3/24 - You can hear the whole record online here. (Hit the Right arrow until you see it in the little menu up top.) It's fantastic!

Comments

How is it that couple bands are usually good...?

Posted by: Mattly at March 23, 2006 11:03 PM

good compromisers?

the cd is great.

Posted by: squatch at March 23, 2006 11:15 PM

the first time I saw mates of state - opening for feist, not long ago - left me hoping it would be the last. they bored me to tears. but to each his own!

Posted by: tyler at March 23, 2006 11:52 PM

pitchfork's review is (astonishingly enough) pretty accurate of the new cd. definately worth a purchase.
also, i've not commented on this site before. props to the contributors. i quite much enjoy this blog.

Posted by: steeeve perry at March 24, 2006 10:59 AM

Haven't I read this article here before? Or is it Plagarism?

Posted by: Chuck at March 24, 2006 12:22 PM

Hey Chuck,

Technically, I kinda plagiarized myself - twice! I wrote about them in June '04 (http://music.for-robots.com/archives/000335.html), and I briefly had this same exact post up yesterday, but then realized the track had some problems, so I had to take it down.

Word.

David

Posted by: Robot David at March 24, 2006 12:46 PM

That guy in the band looks terrible. Does he need to eat or is it excessive makeup?

Posted by: Lucas Jensen at March 28, 2006 9:22 AM

Wow. I went to the same show w/ Rainer Maria. That opening guy, Owen, I believe, was pretty lame. There was, however, a local band called The Ivory Coast that did a pretty great set. Unfortunately, I think they're kaput.

Posted by: Dan at March 30, 2006 10:30 AM
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