Mates of State have made a new album called Mountaintops. You already love Jason and Kori's unmistakable music, or perhaps you've managed to miss out or have simply misunderstood just how great - and yes, influential - they and their sound and their songs are. You throw the record on the stereo and the first thing you notice is the energy and force of it:Go slightly deeper and you find the song-craft. You find that Kori is one of the best female singers in modern music (and Jason is also no slouch). You notice the effortless way their voices harmonize and volley back and forth, the movements within the song, the way they move from upbeat to pastoral so fluidly that you don't perceive it happening. Their instruments and voices all move as one piece, inseparable. Through the years, the textures have become more intricate, deeper. They've begun throwing in the occasional trumpet or guitar, but it is still stunning how much they can do with just keyboards and drums.