Image from a poster for Riri brand zippers, 1950
I know it's not cool to be into Mates of State - they don't really rock, they're too upbeat, they're a happily married couple, their band doesn't have any guitar, etc. And, even though they are generally seen as critics' darlings, they never really had a record that was an Album of the Year contender. Somehow they went straight from "too annoying" to "not annoying enough". Something to do with the difference between being on Polyvinyl Records (too annoying) to being on Barsuk Records (too boring).
Even though I basically agree with the perceived evolution of the band, I really like most of the Mates of State records. I like how they've always built their songs out of little hook-filled snippets instead of verses and choruses - it's oddly appealing. And I think they made a near-perfect album with 2003's Team Boo. It's an underrated LP, definitely in the sweet spot between "too annoying" and "too boring". Team Boo is full of great songs, and "I Got This Feelin'" is one of my favorites, hidden deep in the album's tracklist. Built out of three choruses (no verses) and a series of bouncy organ interludes, it's most memorable moment is probably the third chorus, where Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel yell, "This couldn't be more ghetto!" repeatedly.
"I Got This Feelin'" by Mates of State
0 comments:
Post a Comment