Granted, I still haven't heard the new Modest Mouse CD, but this here is 
the best CD of 2000.  Mates of State are a two-piece organ-and-drums, 
boy-girl combo from San Francisco.  These two can sing like there's no 
tomorrow, and construct some damn good pop songs in-between.  Now before 
you go off making comparisons to Rainer Maria and the like, listen up: 
Jason, the drummer, has a high, slightly whiny voice, which perfectly 
complements the sweet soothing voice of Kori, the organist.  The lyrics, 
while tending to be a tad repetitious, have a sort of nonsensical 
understanding to them.  You know what they are saying, even though a lot of 
it is a bit off-kilter.  Kori gets sounds out of her organ that I could 
never imagine, creating a virtual undersea adventure for "Nice Things That 
Look Good," generating an almost polka-feel for "A Control Group" and 
putting an anthematic vibe to "La'hov" that all of the sudden will flip 
into a mellow dance beat.  These sort of crazy time and style changes occur 
in an abundance of their songs, all of which are pulled off astoundingly 
well on recording and live in concert.  Kori also seems to have a knack for 
using plays on words, with lyrics such as "I am not your yellow knot" and 
"You come in twos, you're coming to."  They sound a little cheesy, but in 
the context of the music, they will slide right from her mouth to your 
ears, where you will enjoy.  I can only find one possible fault with this 
CD: it looks like Jason and Kori are an item, so if they break up, that 
might be the end of the band.  Please do not break up.  Besides that, I 
have no qualms about recommending this CD to anyone who appreciates a good 
pop song, and also to anyone who does not.  Mates of State will change your 
mind.  If anyone can listen to this CD all the way through and not be able 
to hum at least one part of a song, they must be deaf.  Everyone, please go 
buy this; I will guarantee you will not be disappointed.