To me, Mates of State have always been one of those bands that are instantly likeable, but have never been all that essential. That is until the release of this brand new record. Bring It Back finds husband and wife duo (yes, they are really husband and wife) Jason Hammel (drums, vox) and Kori Gardner (organ, vox) toning down their overly cutesy and sugary sweet tendencies (that have been the trademark of their three previous albums) for something a little more grown up. I'm not saying all the sweetness is gone, just that they're getting smarter about knowing when and how to use it.

They're also getting better when it comes to tighter song structure, musically and lyrically. Musically, before Bring It Back, Mates of State always reminded me of the music to the old Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda. Hell, they still do. But at least they're starting to meld that kitschy organ sound to something of substance (piano, keyboards, guitar, heavier drumming, you get the idea). Lyrically, Mates of State have never sounded more epic. Half of the songs here have an almost Arcade Fire like feel (see "Fraud in the 80's" or closer "Running Out" to see what I mean), but only if Arcade Fire were asked to pare down to a two piece. Similarly, Mates of State have never sounded this confident vocally. Gardner is starting to remind me of someone as strong as Aimee Mann, and Hammel isn't too far off from someone like Matthew Friedberger from The Fiery Furnaces. Together their melding of harmonies and alternating verses and choruses has never sounded more gorgeous or better concieved. Basically what I'm getting at is that if you haven't gotten into Mates of State yet, there has never been a better time to appreciate them than right now.