The funny thing about indie rock is that, more often than many of us observers and participants might care to admit, the more things supposedly change, the more they actually stay the same. And as hackneyed as such a statement might be, it’s quite often the honest truth, in that, when one pushes against walls that are as allegedly flexible as those in indie rock, it’s inevitable that there will be some bounce-back. Think of it as the First Law of Music-Making: the more that one overtly pushes against the confines of any given genre, the more likely that they will fall back into comfortable territory. And this is the major concern with Re-Arrange Us, the fifth and most recent album from the too-cute-for-words married indie popsters Mates Of State. Sure, the record finds the duo dropping their use of an organ to include pianos, synths, and guest spots from friends providing additional instrumentation, but in the end, not much has really changed. With great cuts like “Get Better,” “The Re-Arranger,” and “Lullaby Haze,“ there are instances that showcase the capacity for fresh, clean pop songs this couple has always offered. Yet, while this reviewer does like some of the sonic turns taken on Re-Arrange Us, it doesn’t mean that there’s anything truly interesting or divergent from anything they’ve accomplished in the past.
-- Adam P. Newton [June 25, 2008]
