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What happens when an unstoppable force meets an unmovable object? If the unstoppable force is Mute Math and the unmovable object is the mainstream music industry, you step outside the music-box and take matters into your own hands.

Mute Math, a four-piece indie rock group that originated in New Orleans, is on a collision course with mainstream success, playing to sold-out shows and building a sizeable following along the way. 

In a daring move, Mute Math stepped away from a major-label deal that would have put them squarely in the middle of the CCM market, and have decided to take their self-titled debut album directly to their ever-growing, enthusiastic fan-base on a cross-country concert tour. The album (produced by Mute Math and Tedd T.) has been seeing promotion in magazines such as Paste and Relevant, and recently seen exposure on CBS’s Late Late Show, where the band roared through “Chaos,” which appears to be the first single from the album.

Mute Math is a band that seems to have paradoxes running through their work, like an unseen thread that holds the whole fabric together. Interestingly enough, while “Chaos” is the song that is getting the most exposure from this full-length debut album, it was the song “Control” that first introduced the band to the public on the band’s 2004 EP release, RESET— the concepts of chaos and control seem to define much of what these songs are about, musically and lyrically. “Chaos,” for example, sounds, at first, like a straight-ahead rocker, but upon careful listening, reveals a rhythmically complex piece, with vocals, bass and percussion playing with overlapping time signatures, as if meeting from different places and arriving at a common destination. The paradox of chaos and control that Mute Math infuses into the music is evident on many tracks, building often to a frenzy, only to suddenly shift gears, as if to say (with a rakish grin) to the listener, ‘Hey—you thought we lost it there, didn’t you?’

The liner notes credit ‘Mute Math’ as the song writers, with an assist from Adam LaClave and Dave Rumsey (former Earthsuit band-mates) on the song, “Without It.” The lyrics speak through paradox and irony, as the songwriters give us lines such as ’...we stare….but we never see,’ and play with opposite concepts, like ’the worst won’t get the best of us,’ and even play with past and future tenses in the same phrase, as in, ‘...the best we’ve known is yet to come.’ The lyrics are articulate and challenging, exploring what it means to be physical and spiritual at the same time—yes, another paradox. Songs about our limitations as humans (the brilliant “Stare at The Sun”) are balanced by songs like “Typical,” that point to our potential: ‘...I know there’s got to be another level, somewhere closer to the other side, and I’m feeling like it’s now or never—can I break the spell of The Typical?’

Mute Math’s sound is hard to define. There’s no question that the players are very impressive in their respective rolls: Paul Meany on keyboards and vocals, Darren King on Drums and samples, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas on bass, and Greg Hill on guitar. The sound is raw, but lush.; explosive, but mingled with moments that are almost hypnotic. Once again, paradoxes! Mitchell-Cardenas’ bass playing is inventive and multi-faceted, with a range of stylistic elements taking in everything from McCartney, to Be-bop, to hip-hop — effortlessly navigating these unique songs. Hill’s guitar work lays a texture under all of the other instruments, occasionally rising to the surface with a shimmering phrase, or a stinging riff to fill out the musical palette. King’s drumming is nothing less than amazing—what he’s done with the drums in Mute Math is to make them more than just percussion, time-keeping, and ornamentation to the music — he’s made the drumming a texture and compositional element that is integral to the composition. Meany’s contributions on keyboards and vocals are the most obvious elements of the Mute Math sound to the uninitiated listener. The subtle-but-distinctive sound of Meany’s Rhoades permeates the CD, although it does not dominate the music in any way. As far as Meany’s vocals are concerned — there will be the obvious comparisons to Sting, but Meany’s delivery and, especially, his phrasing, are uniquely his own. Meany’s voice is, to these ears, one of the most engaging I’ve heard in many years. 

The album lists thirteen tracks, although some of those titles are short instrumental ‘bridges’ between songs. “Obsolete” is actually a full-length coda to “Stare at the Sun,” and is a real show-piece for what the band can do instrumentally — a real jazz-funk-slow-burning groove is played out with subtle soloing from each band member. 

Mute Math is a CD that will grow on you with each listening—and be sure to listen to it several times (the third listening was the ‘wow’ factor for me). You’ll hear everything from Lennon-esque white noise and primal screaming ("Break the Same") to dreamy, ethereal streams of sound that you can float away with ("Stall Out").

Newton's first law of motion states that "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Right now, Mute Math has momentum—an object in motion, with no intention of being sidetracked.

….and in the end, Meany sings, ‘we are still far from over…..’

Let’s hope he’s right!

Bert Saraco  02/06/06