D+. That's what A.V. Club writer Joshua Alston gave
Mates Of State's Re-Arrange Us in May. So it's undoubtedly surprising for
readers to see the album among the staff's favorites for 2008. But reviews
aren't written based on staff consensus; they're solely in one writer's hands.
So where Alston found a "boring as hell" record "only useful for putting the
kids to sleep," others found one of the year's best pop albums. And here, in The
A.V. Club's
year-end wrap-up, let the word go forth: Re-Arrange Us is a collection of
accomplished indie-pop, replete with Mates Of State's signature hooks ("Get
Better," "Now"), but also more nuanced songs ("Lullaby Haze," "Blue And Gold Paint").
As the duo—drummer-vocalist Jason Hammel and singer-keyboardist Kori
Gardner—completed the current leg of their tour (with their children,
Magnolia and June, in tow), they spoke to The A.V. Club about their busy year,
traveling with kids, and our slam of Re-Arrange Us.
The A.V. Club: What were some of your
highlights and lowlights of this year?
Jason Hammel: It was all pretty
positive. I think some of the festivals were really fun for us. Lollapalooza
was great. Austin City Limits was again fun, and Pemberton, the one in
Vancouver. It was the first year for it, but they had a pretty crazy
bill—they had Jay-Z and Coldplay and My Morning Jacket.
AVC: Any lowlights?
JH: When you get exhausted and sick, that's always
fun. I mentioned Austin City Limits as being a good show, but literally right
before we were going onstage, June had a fever that she'd had for four days. It
was low-grade, but it was continued, so we were kind of getting nervous. And
literally 10 minutes before we were set to be onstage, I was on the phone with
the pediatrician finding out what was going on, what we should do, if we should
take her to the emergency room. Ultimately it was just a virus that had to run
its course—there was no real danger—but it was just sort of scary.
Any time you have a prolonged fever, you have to worry about other things
happening. That was just one of those times where we were like, "Should we
play, or do we need to run her to the emergency room?" But the doctor was like,
"No, it's fine, the fever will spike." And it did, exactly like she suggested
it would. But it was just sort of nerve-wracking, like "What are we doing? Our
baby's sick! Maybe we should not play this show." Thankfully it didn't come to
that.
AVC: Do you have many of those kinds of
freak-out moments on the road with the kids?
JH: No, thankfully we have more good times and fun
times than we have those kinds of times. But the longer drives we've been on
are a nightmare, and everybody's in a bad mood. It just makes you question,
"What decision did you make to get in this situation?" But then you always get
through it and realize that it's just normal ups and downs of any job or choice
that you make.
AVC: Kori keeps a pretty detailed blog
about life on the road with the kids. Do you have a line in your mind
where you stop from over-sharing?
Kori Gardner: Yeah, there are definitely
moments where I am about to post a picture, and I'm like, "No, no, that's a
birthday party that no one else gets to see," or Jason gets mad at me and is
like, "You need to go change your blog. It's too private." I will erase what I
just wrote. Ultimately, I've gotten positive response from it, because people
feel like, "Hey, me too. I go to concerts, and I have kids, and you are just
like me." I definitely don't put everything up there, and I edit what I'm
doing. The stuff I do share is either a really funny story, or me ranting about
how chaotic our lives are right now.
AVC: You wrote a post about going to Disneyworld
and expecting to hate it, but being surprisingly moved by Magnolia's enthusiasm
for it.
KG: Yeah, totally. I wanted to
hate that place. It is the same with music: When you are a kid, you either like
something or you don't. It is so pure. We played so much music for Magnolia,
and it would be some buzzy band that we would be like, "Whatever," and she's
like, "I love this!" So you are like, "Oh, there is something intrinsically
really interesting about this band. Maybe we need to give it a second chance."
Kids can definitely make you open your mind a little.
AVC: What is she into these days, music-wise?
KG: She is obsessed with The Ting
Tings right now. Loves them. She loves that song "Electric Feel" by MGMT. One
time we were sitting in the kitchen and we heard her singing randomly, "Shock
me like an electric eel!" She also is very much into that show Yo Gabba
Gabba! and every song on that show, so there are some kid-music
things involved.
AVC: What are some things you liked this year?
KG: I actually never liked Kings Of
Leon until this new record. I think it's really good. Santogold, I liked that
record that came out this year. I'm really into the Avett Brothers. I didn't
realize how enormous they are all of the sudden. I saw them about a year ago,
and it was literally one of the best shows I've seen, and I didn't know
anything about them at the time. That's always the best surprise.
AVC: Obviously, you had a new record this year,
which meant doing a lot of press. What are you sick of hearing about with Mates
Of State?
KG: I'm in a really good place with not being jaded
about stuff. I used to get really bothered by people comparing us, and people
saying we were super-saccharine and cutesy. We are who we are, and if that's
people's interpretation, like, it used to really get on my nerves. Now I feel
like I know we work really hard. I know we are a family. I know we make pop
music. If that categorizes as "sweet" or "cutesy," then so be it. At the same
time, now I'm finally letting that go and not worrying about it, and I really
don't read that much about us in print anymore, because I'm a much happier
person that way.
AVC: Reading in print is one thing; reading
online, and reading comments from people, is another.
KG: Oh, people can be so cruel when
they're anonymous. Someone could be having a bad day, and they're like, "You
suck, and you're ugly!" You're like, "Oh my God, I'm totally ugly!" I remember
when you could comment on stuff for the first time on bands' websites years
ago. I remember a few times writing comments, and they were never nice. I was
like, "I can't do that. That is so cruel." [Laughs.]
AVC: A lot of the feedback you've gotten
recently was people freaking out about the lack of organ on Re-Arrange Us. Did you anticipate
that?
JH: Before we decided to nix it in the recording, we
were a little nervous that maybe that's what was appealing about our band, the
organ. Finally we were just like, "No, that's not it, it's really the energy of
our singing and the harmony that is the main energy of what is Mates Of State."
Then once we'd finished the recording and finished the record, we were 100
percent confident that the record we had made still had the energy of Mates Of
State, and we were proud of it, and are proud of it. We were just like, "Hell
with it. People will come along with us or they won't, and they'll miss the
boat. It's their choice." We were proud of the record.
AVC: What do you learn about the audience after
you release a record?
JH: It's hard to say. You always hope that you get a
positive response. When you get a negative response, it hits you a little
harder. But I think with art and music, any strong response is a good response,
you know what I mean? It's really all you want people to do, is react. Have a
voice on something. "I really liked this," or "I really hate it," okay, that's
fine. What makes you human is to be able to say "I love something" or "I hate
something," and "It inspires me to puke" or "It inspires me to dance." That's
what makes people people.
AVC: We actually gave it one of its worst
reviews.
JH: Yeah, what's your problem, man? Pitchfork, too. [Pitchfork gave the album a 5.1.
—ed.] I was going to say, "Fuck Pitchfork"—I wasn't about to
say, "Fuck The Onion" because of you. But why'd you guys give it a bad review?
What's your problem?
AVC: Hey, some of us liked it.
JH: I remember hearing that, or maybe I stumbled upon
it or something, but I had forgotten. I try to put that stuff out of my head.
You guys will correct yourselves too. History will show that! You'll be like,
"Yeah, we messed up." [Laughs.]