Just in...MUTEMATH: Odd Soul

    The day has finally arrived! One of my favorite bands ever since I first heard their Reset (EP) back in 2004, yet in fact even before it was released they had tracks streaming online as a preview, MUTEMATH releases this their third full album, Odd Soul. Formed partly from the ashes of a Christian reggae progressive experimental rock band, Earthsuit (which is how I first came to hear about Mutemath), with Paul Meany (lead vocals, keyboards and extraneous instruments), Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas (bass) and Darren King (drums) coming from Earthsuit and  former guitarist Greg Hill coming from the New Orleans area where Mutemath is based. Their current guitarist as of 2010 is Todd Gummerman. Their previous work also includes, Mutemath (Self-titled, 2006), Spotlight (EP, 2009) Armistice (2009), and three live albums.
    Energetic just doesn't describe Mutemath, doesn't do them justice. They are beyond energetic. Every song has electricity, tension and fantastic harmonic and melodic structure. Plus, they experiment with control devices, electronic sounds and real percussion instruments, not something most bands have the expertise for. The distinct voice of Paul Meany, which I recognized well from Earthsuit, is perfect for the style and fresh expression the band exudes in their music, album and promotional art, music videos and for life in New Orleans. Known for being a city of dixieland and jazz, Mutemath fits in well, implementing invigorating sensibilities in comparison to almost any other alternative rock band out there. Their bass player, Roy, for one contributes a lot of his jazz and funk know-how (he went to school for English and played music along the way) and Darren King is a beast on drums, while Paul Meany seems to be the driving force behind most of the creative use of instruments and attention to detail. Not to belittle the other members though; when Armistice was written, it was a complete collaboration in the song making process and developed quite organically after the band hit a dead end while trying to put together a number of songs they had already prepared to record. Instead of almost breaking up, after meeting with a producer, they scrapped everything and started fresh and called the resulting experience (to paraphrase) the quickest and easiest/best writing they had ever done, where everyone had a contributing role.
    Their latest effort, Odd Soul, is definitely a new direction from Armistice, but I don't think that different entirely. It is so Mutemath in its rhythms and colors and melodies, while perhaps the real difference is in a more lo-fi psychedelic guitar funk style. It is almost like New Orleans blues/jazz rock, if that could be a sufficient genre description. The first song, and single, "Odd Soul", definitely starts off this progression throughout the album, with the most blues/funk tune. Video here. Each successive song I'll say a little about:
(2) "Prytania" has a more happy-go-lucky upbeat tambourine/shaker feel, with great fills.
(3) "Blood Pressure" is the other single, and a worthy track, definitely bluesy, but the choruses and bridge are killer, and the video, which you can see here is stellar! It just rocks out and may be my favorite track.
(4) "Tell Your Heart Heads Up" has a nice bass line, kudos to Roy, with lo-fi spoken/sung vocals.
(5) "All or Nothing" is kind of an interlude of sorts to the intense energy filled songs, a steady beat remains, but less cymbals and heavy hitting, with a more melodic reflective tone, and sections that might evoke Radiohead's more electronic days.
(6) "Sun Ray" is a truly down tempo work, almost trip hop-ish, with vibes to perfection providing the chords to start; this is a completely instrumental work, which I'm not sure they have done since "Reset" from their Reset (EP), though much shorter.
(7) "Allies", another killer bass line, doubled, with short tonal modulations that add a lot, funk to the max here.
(8) "Cavalries" is groovy and funky, with chorus vocals, and latin percussion instruments brought into the mix half way in, before returning to the original style.
(9) "Walking Paranoia" starts exactly like a math rock band, and continues similarly, but not so repetitive I guess. There are a lot of hits back and forth and harmonized vocals.
(10) "One More" starts almost like a Radiohead song, and then hits this sweet groove and just hovers for a while before exploding into a punk drumming blues tune.
(11) "Equals" is the most like their original work from Reset (EP) that I have heard in a while, at least the opening. The bass dives and vibes are a nice touch, and claps are back in style from Armistice, though here and there not 8 measures long. Great song.
(12) "Quarantine" is a little less tamed than the rest of the album, per say, with electronic noises you might not expect to hear from Mutemath, almost like a mix of The Flaming Lips or something at times. Indeed, this whole album dips into the psychedelic a lot I think. The song is the longest on the album, has a significantly different middle section and ends with "alarms", I guess to forewarn that the epidemic is here?
(13) "In No Time" is what makes this another great Mutemath release, the expected ballade that soothes and just provides a bit of beauty amidst the riotous but fun energy. The song builds to a finish.
    There are three bonus tracks, "Amendment", "Cold Sparks" and "Sun Ray, Pt. 2" if you pre-ordered. I don't know what that means for us unfortunate souls (pun intended), but I'm sure we'll hear them eventually. I'm going to direct you to their website, here, where you can purchase the album, and watch the videos of their singles, it released on Warner Bros. Records. Also, if you don't want to leave, check out "Blood Pressure" under 'Monthly Sample Tracks' on the right (the MySpace music player will open). Enjoy!