Shiny Around the Edges: Hailey's w/Mates of State, Happy Bullets

Publication: North Texas Daily News
Reviewer: Sara Southerland

September 28, 2005

"Mates of State bring sugar-sweet melodies to Hailey’s"

While the rest of you were cherishing the last few hours of the weekend before another week of school and responsibility, I was enjoying a performance by the lovely Mates of State at Hailey’s Sunday night.

After making my way through the winding line outside, my ears perked up as I entered the door. Shiny Around the Edges, the three-piece Denton band that had so captivated my senses in the past, was performing. Husky-voiced female vocalist Jennifer Seman crooned with tones reminiscent of Mazzy Star. Seman’s husband, Michael, also sang, and his haunting notes reminding me of a happier Nick Cave. Some of the band’s riffs were similar to PJ Harvey’s tunes of subtle feminist-style rock. Other pieces, such as the exploration of experimental ambient noise, carried closer ties to Sonic Youth’s sound. The group’s set included songs from their 2005 full-length release, Secrets of the Double Blind. Though I was thrilled during the set of Shiny Around the Edges, not everyone in the crowd shared my sentiments. Sean Esheaugh, UT-Dallas student, and a fan of hardcore music, said Shiny Around the Edges was pretentious and took its music too seriously. “Enough of the random noise; for the love of God, get rid of it,” he said.

As always, the Hailey’s crowd brought an array of fans to the show, from a sea of black-rimmed glasses to those whom you wonder how they bear to miss a night at The Garage. Next up were The Happy Bullets, a bouncy and poppy Denton band.
Playing a multitude of new songs off of their latest album, The Vice & Virtue Ministry (Undeniable Records), The Happy Bullets was fun and happy-go-lucky, singing with silly lyrics such as, “sometimes my head falls off.” The sound was remarkably similar to headliners Mates of State as well as Neutral Milk Hotel and Of Montreal. The Happy Bullets played with a stage full of instruments, including a trumpet and trombone, creating a ska-like feel. The band switched the lead singer on almost every song, leaving me wondering who I was supposed to be paying attention to from one song to the next. During “If You Were Mine,” bass player Andrea Roberts stepped up to the microphone to sing in a forced British accent that came across as a bit ridiculous. This is not ‘77 punk, and you are not European, you non-patriot you. During the song, I felt like I was at a karaoke bar rather than at a venue watching a decent band perform.

“Keeping Warm” sounded like a big show tune, yet miraculously enough, Roberts had no accent. I rant on, but overall I thought they were pretty good, a typical indie band with ideas borrowed from the greats of the genre. “The ‘60s happy rock sound is a nice change from the serious, hard rock that’s so common today,” Kat Boyer, a Mates of State fan, said. “I think their message is that it’s OK to let loose, smile and dance around.”

After a long setup, Mates of State finally began to play. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel make up Mates of State, a quirky power pop band driven by organ and drums based out of San Francisco. The duo started making music in 1997. A few years later, they got married, quit their day jobs and began touring and making music full time. The loud sharp drums of Hammel and constantly moving fingers of Gardner on the keyboard and organ were balanced by the groups poppy and sugary notes. Gardner’s twangs were beautiful, youthful and controlled. She ranged over notes high and low, meeting in delicate harmony with her husband’s voice.

When they played “Ha Ha,” arguably the group’s most popular song, the crowd got psyched, and there were hints of movement from even the most rigid of fans. I often caught the pair gazing fondly at each other as they went back and forth, each responding to the other through song. It was a great show for a date. The couples in the crowd were everywhere you looked, and many were holding hands, jumping around and singing along. The duo played an assorted selection, focusing on newer songs from their latest release, All Day, a four-song EP that came out this year on Polyvinyl Records. Mates of State played the unreleased “Like You Crazy,” a dancy-yet-folky upbeat ballad that also is the title of their next album, which is expected in spring 2006.
“They played a lot of new music, but it was really great,” Luis R. Bustos, El Paso senior, said. “It’s funky, always good stuff to dance to.”