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Mute Math
October 5, 2006
 Park West, Chicago, IL

The Mute Math show at the Park West in Chicago had the atmosphere all a-sparkle with the band’s large, busy, engaging sound; they infused the joint with their energy, whimsy and talent.

They opened with the first two tracks on their debut album: a brief, moody instrumental, “Collapse,” merging into the bouncy, catchy “Typical,” which poses the question, “Can I break the spell of the typical?”

Mute Math’s electronically-enhanced compositions flowed over the crowd like a sweet musical baptism.

The hip, ever-moving lead vocalist, Paul Meany, is clearly the epicenter of the band’s feng shui. 

Meany is a frantic bundle of ADD, an immediately likable front man whose vocal style is unmistakably Stingy (that is to say, reminiscent of former Police vocalist, Sting). So much so at times that my friend and I couldn’t help making silly jokes about it. (Like when the light show started going wild I said, “Look, they put out the red light.” And my friend, perfectly on cue, said, “They didn’t have to.” We made other bad jokes but I’ll spare you.) 

This Sting-like quality was especially apparent on the song, “Noticed;” in fact, the whole feel of the song made me think, “This is what The Police would sound like if they reunited with Stingster and started recording.” This is not a criticism. Mute Math has a fresh, fun sound that melts a lot of genres in their musical potpourri--the undisguised homage to Sting is as pleasant as a sunny afternoon in Cabo San Lucas.

Talent kudos all around. 

Headphone-wearing drummer Darren King obviously loves smacking things (sometimes drums, yes, but other times drum thrones, mike stands, or even his head) and he smacks them with finesse, his head bobbing, trancelike, to the beat. His expertise adds a lot and elevates the overall sound of Mute Math.

They drifted off into a wonderful jam during “Stare at the Sun,” wherein bass player, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas, has this really fun riff. He was strong throughout the performance as was guitarist Greg Hill, working his chords and riffs with magnificent understatement.

Their freshly-released debut album is quite an enjoyable piece of work but Mute Math’s live show takes this very fine thing and gives it a palpable, vibrant second life that has a way of making one all tingly (in a good way). 

My impression is these guys have what it takes. They are going somewhere.

I conclude that, yes, Mute Math has managed to break the spell of the typical. 

Jim Wormington