On today's mix...
Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us (2008)

The latest album from married duo Mates of State is a truly irresistible indie pop confection. Enthusiastic harmony, clean production, and stuttery hooks dominate Re-Arrange Us, always to excellent effect. The fast-paced ballad "My Only Offer" offers the album's catchiest chorus, but the uplifting "Get Better" and "The Re-Arranger" are its greatest assets--and likely the best pop songs you'll hear all year. When the hooks miss, however, as on many of the album's other seven tracks, the songs tend to be unmemorable. The second half of Re-Arrange Us consists mostly of lower energy tracks, and the results are always lovely and charming (even when the subject matter is relationship troubles), but they're rarely particularly compelling. Other than "You Are Free"--which builds up to a surprisingly effective conclusion--the rest of the album's tracks have the feel of polished B-sides. Nonetheless, as with Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, even the album's weaker tracks only feel weak in the context of the album's incredible strengths, and the band's sound and personality carries through to the end. The Mates of State are a couple to cherish, and the breezy Re-Arrange Us is the perfect album to kick off your summer.

8/10