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J. Tillman at the Mohawk - Giveaway
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Well, we sort of picked this disc up on a whim, and upon first listen, the Mute Math really didn't seem to add up. The mantra-like repetition of lines like "you are mine" (from "You are Mine"), "break the same" (from "Break the Same"), and "can I break the spell of the typical?" (from "Typical") made us wish Mute Math lived up to the first part of their name. Even after considering their great range of hairstyles and old school instruments: nothing doing. After enduring listen #2, it was decided that vocalist/keyboardist Paul Meany's vocals are overwrought, the lyrics are silly and cliché ("how long should it take somebody before they can be someone?" from "Typical" or "and we stare at the sun, we never see anything" from "Stare at the Sun"), and the attempted indie-garage-lo-fi-electonic music sounds too plastic. The only bright spots amidst the mire of campy mid-90's alterna-nostalgia soundscape are the rough, punchy instrumentals "Collapse" and "Polite."
Like any good music reviewing jerkface knows: it's always best to do some homework on your subject. So we fired up the old intertron and went to town on the Mute Math…
Turns out the boys from Mute Math -- Paul Meany (vocals/keyboards), Greg Hill (guitar), Roy Mitchell-Cenas (bass), and Darren King (drums) -- are insanely popular. They regularly sell out shows, have throngs of supporters across the net, and appear on nationally-broadcasted late night programs. 60K+ MySpace homies can't be wrong. What's the deal here?
The deal: when Meany gently repeats "you are mine" into our ears dozens of times it has nothing to do with the seduction of Austinist, but more to do with the band's praise of their lord and savior Jesus Christ. Ah-haaa! We knew it wasn't that lame key-tar cruft they pimp in their band bio that drives the kids wild. But just because they're Christian Rockers doesn't mean that they should be held to different aesthetic standards, at least not in a secular review. In fact, it took a little further digging to discover that they're rockin' to save your soul. At face value, after two intense full listens, this is just a band that has a hackneyed sound (if you want a secular version of the same thing that's mildly better, crank up the Way Back Machine and look into the Verve Pipe). What Mute Math accomplishes as an album in the general realm of popular music really doesn't matter. In the context of a genre like Faith Rock, though, these guys are giving their fans something that's whiz-in-their-trousers worthy. Mute Math produces an alternative sound that's not offensive and provides a solid vehicle for expressing the shared beliefs of their community. And there you have it.
You can check them out for yourself this weekend when "The Album Release Tour" swings through Austin:
Mute Math, with Love Drug and Radiant
Friday, 05/05/06 at 6PM
Stubb's Bar-B Q, 801 Red River
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How is "Faith Rock" a genre? Is "Fuck Rock", "Drugs Rock", or "Colored People Scare Me Rock" (all equally represented in the music world, I might add) legitimate labels for "Rock"? I think not. You either ROCK (loud, crude references, wild-out, sweat, scream, have sex with mother-daughter teams, etc) or you don't (crochet, weep, arrange cut flowers, save souls from eternal damnation).
Consider, instead, the following replacement names for this "genre":
Really-Poorly-Done Gospel Music.
Music For Embarrassed Religious People Music.
God Hates Your Music, Music.
Songs For Sale About Jesus Saving Stuff Music.
Stryper-Not-Stripper (SNS for short) Music.
Landfill… Fill.
Alright, you got me. There's no point to this. And by "this" I mean "the album" and "my comment".
These groups are also referred to as "Praise Bands"
For an example, see Shure Microphones' guide: "How to Mic a Praise Band" http://www.shure.com/shurenotes/how_aug2004/default.asp
There's a joke in there somewhere I'm sure.
Apparently you need a decent "soul patch" to ensure proper mic arrangement. And regarding "Faith Rock," I think I got that from a late night CD advert. "Can I borrow yours?" "No-no my brother, you must get your own."
As a MM fan, I have no problem with the criticism leveled in this review, although reading through other reviews on the internet, it is decidedly in the minority.
What I do have a problem with is the faulty reasoning about why Mute Math is gaining popularity given in the last portion of the review.
The band isn't advertising itself as anything to do with Christianity. In fact, it has sued Warner Bros. for attempting to market them on the Christian label Word. The band is on Teleprompt now.
Moreover, the reason MM is gaining popularity is because of the live show they put on, and it is painfully obvious this reviewer has never been to one of their shows.
Dr. P.:
Thanks for the very thoughtful response. In consideration of the merits of the album alone and cursory intertron research my conclusion was surmised. It seems odd to get litigious on that ass just to avoid being on a Christian label. Did they not want to be typecast? Does the publicity dept. at Word suck? Their spectacle may be great, but I hope no one's listening to this album on the way to the show.
Love, Mr. A.
I would do some more research, or have a competent person do it for you. You should be writing an article bashing the Christians who are trying to force an association between religion and the band's music. Mute Math has clearly made several attempts to separate themselves from this, but it is the fanatical cult of Christians that are trying desperately to keep the association. How about an article on that?
Dearest B:
A "fanatical cult of Christians" (who do you think's running the country BTW) will buy your mediocre CD and go to your live shows. Cult > 1, therefore cult = $$. No more research on Mute Math please. I don't think the Flaming Lips mind that meatheads and sorority galz are fornicating to their Yoshimi album and dry-humping at their shows. It's all about the enz and if you don't know about the enz, best axe somebody.
Go buy some Gary Davis, he's spiritual, cool, and dead... that way you don't have to worry about who likes his music because there's no chance you'll ever see them at a show.
xo... A
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Mute Math's strength is definatly in their live shows... it was only after seeing them open for switchfoot that I got their cd. As for sueing not to be on Words label, the reason is pretty clear... (just look at some of the above posts) people don't trust/respect christian rock bands, regardless if they are good or not...
You can't be 40428 serious?!?