mutemath

“For us, we just try to keep it simple. We’re obviously a band; that’s really all we ever wanted to be from the very beginning without catering to any particular genre or political or religious agenda. We just want to make music with no barriers.               ”—Paul Meany (Mutemath lead singer)

This is an odd band with a distinct sound.

The first time I heard Mutemath I found their music & sound really unique. Let me try this (maybe the best I can do) … I tend to want to call them a techno jam band.

What do I mean?

Well. On their Armistice cd that song (armistice) is a nice quirky innovative song … short with different aspects … but live? Whoa.  Huge.  Fascinating.  It takes it to an entirely different level (the sign of a live jam band) … here is the live version (which is NOTHING like the 3 minute something cd version):

Armistice (live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWp_JHn-I88&feature=related

So. Where did i first hear of Mutemath? okay … I admit … it was the Twilight soundtrack … I heard Spotlight:

Spotlight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry6GAwDCI2I

An awesome song.

Frenetic but solid in its foundation.

And., well … that summaries Mutemath.  A shitload of their songs are frenetic but they have this solid thematic backbone that makes them … well … listenable.

And then when I saw them on Palladium I instantly fell in love with their live show and their music. That was what set this band apart to me.. There seems like there is nothing else out there that was similar. It’s really hard to put a label on them or to pin them down into describing their sound. The instrumentation is sometimes odd and they mix some nice down-tempo with a solid bass beat while others very heavily electronic. And there seems some jazz influence which I hesitate to claim it’s because of their New Orleans background but you have to assume it influenced what they did in some way).

I guess if you listen to them I would suggests that Mutemath seems to throw a lot of different music styles at you in creating their songs. For example … go to their Armistice cd … you have some choices (but skip tracks 1 & 2). Listen to track 3 & 4 back to back. 2 different sounds. Exactly the same if you listen to tracks 10 & 11 back to back (add in track 9 which is a really nice interesting song and it completes the range).

Mutemath seem to have a quirky knack for jamming a bunch of different sounds together and just making it sound good by combining it with their lead singer’s (Paul Meany) distinct voice and delivery. Oh. And their drummer is awesome.

In the end? They’ve both got some really cool guitar riffs, some groove-oriented frenetic drums, and a ton of multi-instrumental pacing switches (which some people find uncomfortable but the oddness creates some interesting music).

Chaos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTV0Aa4lC04&feature=related

Also. I find them even more interesting because they split with their original label while they debated being labeled in the music market as a ‘Christian band.’ The band suggests that although all the band members are Christians, they want their music to be positioned for mainstream exposure, without the ‘Christian’ label.

(good for them I say)

Someone describes them this way … “The four piece (originating from New Orleans) has scattered influences that are apparent without being obvious, and touch on everything from DJ Shadow styled beats, moments of beauty and grandeur a la Bjork, and vocals that pay legitimate homage to Police-era Sting.”

Bottom line?

Their live show looks awesome …. it has this random energy that creates a slightly dizzying energy.

What more can I say?

Ok.

I didn’t make this list … it was created by The Good and the Bad and the Unknown blog (http://goodbadunknown.blogspot.com/ ) which if you like music is an AWESOME site:

Here are the 11 Best Songs by Mutemath:

1.  Chaos

2.  Goodbye

3.  No Response

4.  Control

5.  Break The Same

6.  Stall Out

7.  Burden

8.  You Are Mine

9.  Spotlight

10.  Typical

11.  The Nerve

An odd quirky band? Yes.

A good band? Yup.

Listen to them.

Worth every minute.

Written by Bruce