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Life & Arts

Math release, tour add up

by BEN HILL
The Daily Cougar

Mute Math is a rock band cut from different stock. Not just musically -- there is simply something different about how the band members live their lives and treat their fans. How many other groups would help push a fan's truck out of a mud hole and take time out after loading up to talk with fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures? One would hope all musicians would show such dedication and genuine, honored respect for their fans. 

Saturday's album release party at the Proletariat was a sold-out celebration for the many die-hards in the audience that have waited far too long for Mute Math's full-length debut. Taking the stage around 11 p.m., the band launched into their new single "Chaos." The set consisted of mostly new material, including a new reggae number "Stare At The Sun" and a new instrumental "Obsolete." The band's signature reggae piece "Peculiar People" turned into an extended sing-along during which frontman Paul Meany climbed atop one of the band's instruments and gently entrusted himself to hands of the audience, who sent him around a good portion of the room. 

"That was the finest crowd-surfing technique I've ever seen," said Meany to the crowd. Between songs, Meany repeatedly thanked the crowd for their patience in waiting for the album to see daylight. 

"We took way too much time making this album," said Meany early in the set, "but now it's here!" The statement was met with wild cheers from the crowd. "Warner Brothers passed on the album," said Meany after the show, "So we finally just decided to release it ourselves, just to get it out there."

Mute Math is a stellar debut from a band seasoned by years on the road and a commitment to stretch the limits of popular music, being experimental while simultaneously accessible. 

Owing as much to Miles Davis' electric jazz-funk and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters as to modern indie-rock and dub reggae, the album continues in the same style-melding vein as their Reset EP. The new material is a bit more moody in tone than Reset, but it shows how much the band has gelled during its relentless touring. The arrangements are tighter and the music is better. 

The bands' debut also announces the arrival of a formidable new rhythm section. Drummer Darren King and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas weave highly intricate grooves into Meany's keyboard textures, and are a critical presence in the music. Using a stripped-down drum kit, King shows that his playing is all skill by taking elements of electronic music, jazz fusion and the recently re-popularized dance punk genres. The rhythm section really shines during the instrumental "Obsolete," featuring Mitchell-Cardenas on upright bass on the studio version. 

Live, the band wraps "Noticed" with the danceable energy and cascading guitar of October-era U2. The song evidently gave Meany a considerable amount of grief during the writing process.

Other highlights were the bands two anthems "Control" and "Plan B." Mute Math closed its set with instrumental "Reset" which showcased King's manic drumming and Meany's solo on a bizarre, homemade instrument dubbed "The Atari." Played by simply touching the neck, "The Atari" bears a close resemblance in sound to the theremin. Meany capped off the set by hurling "The Atari" into the hands of various audience members, who played their own solos on the instrument.

Kansas City's Vedera (formally Veda) played a solid set of up-tempo, introspective rock influenced by Radiohead, Bjork and Joni Mitchell.

Guitarist/keyboardist Kristen May has a powerful voice with a muscular band consisting of Brian and Drew Little on guitar and drums, respectively. Jason Douglas holds down the groove on bass. Highlights of the bands' set included "Safe," "The Falling" and "Lover's Lie."

"It's probably the happiest sounding song on the album," said May of "Lover's Lie." Veda's The Weight Of An Empty Room is worth checking out. You've also got to admire a band that does everything from tearing down sound equipment to working their merchandise table. They played a strong show and were well received by the crowd. 

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