MuteMath
Armistice, MuteMath’s long-awaited follow-up to the band’s 2006 debut, is finally here, and an enthusiastic fan-base asks the inevitable question: Did Armistice turn out to be worth the wait? The answer is a resounding ‘yes,’ as this project shows us a band that refused to take the easy way out, but stepped out of their comfort zone to dig their collective heels into the soil of a musical battlefield, refusing to let go until this sophomore project was exactly what they wanted to deliver. And Armistice does deliver!
MuteMath has managed to record a sophomore project that takes such huge strides in songwriting, performance and production that you would think that Armistice might actually be three or four albums removed from its self-titled predecessor instead of being its follow-up. Paul Meany, Darren King, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas and Greg Hill have emerged from the studio with twelve songs that show a more finely-honed songwriting skill and a level of soul, funk, and emotion that was just hinted at previously. The result is an album that will reach a broader audience and will be more accessible, without sacrificing the edgy electronic vibe and furious performance-level that the band has become famous for. Even the occasional use of strings (played by a multi-tracked Jeremy Larsen) adds a new level of sound without any compromise.
Greg Hill does his usual yeoman’s work of not only playing the obvious guitar parts but creating many of the unique sound-textures and atmospheric effects that are so characteristic of MuteMath’s music. When called for, Hill plays straight rock chords, driving tracks like “Spotlight,” as well as slide parts and tasty little solo phrases (when he’s not contributing to extra keyboard work or triggering samples). Perhaps the most invisible part of the songs, Hill’s unique playing is part of the foundation and texture of MuteMath’s sound.
Roy Mitchell-Cardenas turns in bass work that’s nothing less than stellar throughout the whole album, handling the pop oriented songs with economy and taste and the rock/indie parts with intelligence and enthusiasm. His bass playing percolates and boils, writhing along the underbelly of the music, lending an air of danger here and funk there. Picking up his acoustic bass on “Pins and Needles,” Roy shows impressive jazz chops, but it’s on the album’s title track, “Armistice,” that Roy gets funky enough to get arrested. Impressive bass work, indeed.
Darren King’s drum work is all about textures, patterns and the spaces in-between the beats. Obviously, thinking in terms of a song’s over-all vibe, King alternates between military cadences, machine gun-like runs, and impossible sounding rhythmic patterns, occasionally even letting the sound of the sticks themselves become part of the sound-picture. “Burden,” the album’s nine minute closing track, with its distant-cousin relationship to “Reset” (with a little bit of “Spotlight,” and a sonic echo of “Stall Out” for good measure), gives King a little room to stretch the skins a bit and cause all of the drummers listening to shake their heads in awe and mute admiration.
Paul Meany’s keyboard work is typically wonderful and, along with King’s percussion, is pivotal to MuteMath’s core sound. No less important to that sound are Meany’s vocals. His inventive and insightful phrasing puts ‘juice’ into a lyric that might otherwise escape the ear. Comparisons to Sting can be put aside now – McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and even a bit of Steely Dan (listen to the beginning section of “Goodbye”) all contribute on some level to the soulful vocal licks and immaculate, inventive pop harmonies on songs like the stunning “Clipping,” which impresses more on every listening. Meany’s vocals are elastic, loose, passionate, and particularly soulful, ranging from a Dylanesque sneer on “The Nerve,” to a choir boy-like falsetto on “Burden.” Sometimes singing twin melody lines an octave apart, sometimes singing a more traditional back-up, sometimes doing a call-and-response with himself, Meany’s vocals on Armistice place him as one of modern rock’s best singers, whether he’s mixed in dry and up-front or in a wash of reverb and ambient sound. Paul Meany now becomes a singer that others will want to be compared to.
Themes of conflict, resolution, responsibility, disillusionment, and, of course love, run through Armistice, perhaps best summed up by these words from “Pins and Needles” – “I’m growing fond of broken people, as I see that I am one of them – I’m one of them…” Armistice looks at a broken world and recognizes that, more often than not, the wounds are self-inflicted. “The Nerve” examines the world and proclaims, somewhat apocalyptically, “set it on fire,” but the final conclusion is that this world is “just exactly as we built it – runnin’ out of control.”
Armistice is that rare project that inspires the body and soul, alternately getting about as funky and inspirational as a rock album can get. There are ‘wow’ moments and passages that can make the hair on your arms stand up. “Clipping,” “Pins and Needles,” “Armistice” and “Burden” are – like the saying goes – worth the price of admission, but then you’ve got the rest of this great rock/pop album to enjoy as well. This album will grow on you with repeated listening, no doubt giving you a revolving-door of favorites that will take each others’ places every few days. There’s a lot here to absorb, and it’s well-worth absorbing. Armistice is certainly one of the best sophomore efforts (from any band) to come along in quite a while. Now all we have to do is try to endure the wait for the next one.
Meanwhile, there’s the tour……
Bert Saraco is a native New Yorker married to his high school sweetheart, has three children, runs his own professional photography business, and writes occasional music, book and film reviews.
Friday Aug 7th, 2009 • View all posts by Bert Saraco • View all posts in Album Reviews
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Great job Bert!
[...] this link to a reveiw of Armistice on [...]
Excellent review. I am excited to hear the album.
Great Review, Bert.
You got all that from the Listening Party?
The LP is awesome, I personally would give it a 10+
Bert, you have the ability to put into words the exact thoughts I have but can’t find the words for. Great review.
Wow. Really, really descriptive review, Bert. You’ve done what I thought was impossible–make me want this album even more than I already did!
I’m on the fence. I want to love this project. But I’m not enthusiastic at the moment.
Just a fantastic review. The review is as good as the album. Nice work!
I was very disappointed at the direction Mute Math is taking with their music. If you like poppy fluff you’ll like this album. After waiting 3 years and knowing that these guys are musical geniuses, it was a letdown. The majority of people will fall in love with it, especially those new to Mute Math. But for those who have followed them since before their birth and know what their capable of, it’s disappointing.
Thought you might like to see our full review at The Album Project
http://thealbumproject.net/2009/08/full-review-mutemath-armistice/
[...] MuteMath has managed to record a sophomore project that takes such huge strides in songwriting, performance and production that……… (read full soul-audio.com article here). [...]
[...] a recent review by Soul Audio: “Roy Mitchell-Cardenas turns in bass work that’s nothing less than stellar throughout the [...]
This album has a little bit for everyone. Radio-play-worthy songs and the ethereal sounds and layers that Mutemath is known for. I simply love this album. Didn’t expect to since many groups only have a great first album and can’t recreate that success on their sophomoic album.
nice post. thanks.
Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher!
Does it Resonate with you?