Customer Reviews

Armistice

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sophomore albums are like sequels to great movies. At first you get excited about the prospect of seeing all your favorite beloved characters again. Then you become apprehensive. A thought pops into your head. "The Empire is striking back? Sweet!" Then another. "There's going to be a female Terminator?! Ah, crap!"
Mutemath's latest CD had me saying both. Their first, self-titled, album was nearly flawless. It has yet to leave my CD player. And when it does, it'll be a cold day in hell. So as I frolicked out of Hoodlum's with the CD in my hands, I thought to myself, "Wait... what if they can't do any better than that first album?"
So I set the mood for a fresh listen. I waiting until the evening, rolled the windows of my car down, lit some candles, poured a glass of wine, put on some smooth jazz (then took it off realizing how difficult it would be to hear two CDs at once), and slid Armistice by Mutemath into the CD player.
I was ready to rock. That was my first problem. I was initially let down. This was not the Mutemath I had fallen in love with. There were no catchy riffs, no loud, impassioned vocals, and no instrumental experiments.
But one day, upon my fourth or fifth listen with Armistice in the background, I got it. In a musical epiphany, I realized just how much soul these boys from New Orleans have. You can't rock to this album. You have to get down to it. That can be done with a little less head movement and a little more pelvis.
I realized that Mutemath was able to accomplish one thing twice. They were able to create a fresh album.

This is one of the most quietly anticipated albums this year I think. And it pays off well. Armistice begins with "The Nerve," a fun, heavy rock song with a chorus of "Set it in fire!" Sure to be a winner at live shows. It's a perfect way to start off the album: with a song that sounds like you're having fun recording it. The next song, "Backfire," is slightly by the books but is saved by Darren King's incredible drumming and Greg Hill's sparse guitar riffs. The third song, "Clipping," may be my favorite song on the entire album. It's a perfect blend of everything MuteMath does well. Rhythmic-drumming, incredible singing, pulsing bass, beautiful pieces layered on top. The next two songs worth mentioning are "No Response" and "Pins and Needles." "No Response" is a slow-rhythm pop song with toasty-warm vocals and hip-hop drums. There's a particularly wonderful part towards the middle of the song: after the first chorus, the organs cut out to reveal a softly-played piano part subtly-tweaked with what sounds like a pitch-shifter. "Pins and Needles" begins sounding like a real subtle salute to dubstep before Paul cuts the pitter-patter drums with beautiful vocals. Piano joins the arrangement during the chorus and the song almost takes a turn for In Rainbows-era Radiohead with incredible drumbeats and a hauntingly beautiful string arrangement at the end. "Goodbye" may be the biggest misstep on the album. It's a little much with its blend of Coldplay piano and almost-Middle Eastern string part towards the end. But it's still enjoyable, which is a big part of why this album works. Then comes the biggest save of the album. "Odds." I found myself trying to find the beat my first few times through. I absolutely love the rhythm in this song. And the way the snare and handclaps come in on following choruses... it's incredible and it's never overboard. One of the neatest parts of the song is realizing that there are ghostly "oooohs" going on in the background throughout the whole song. "Armistice" is another prime part of the album. Handclaps, sick drumming, and an extremely fun guitar part open up the song before it quiets down for the verse where the best part of the song is revealed: the bass. Roy Mitchell-Cardenas' superb bass on this album shines through particularly well on this song. It's going to be incredible seeing them perform this live. "Lost Year" being the only ballad on the album, "Burden" had to be all about energy. It's this album's "Break the Same." It builds on a real steady drumbeat, explodes into a drum solo and then gets extremely calm before slowly building up once more, adding layers and layers of sound and drum parts before Darren just breaks free of his restraints and lets loose on his drumkit, solidifying his place as one of music's best drummers. It's a wonderful sophomore effort and gets 5 out of 5 stars from me (since I can't put 4.5 out of 5 stars).

Every now and then a band will come along that brings a fresh outlook on the musical spectrum. Mutemath is one of those bands. In 2006 their self titled album hit the mass media with a quick one two. Three years later they come back with Armistice and knock everyone out. I can honestly say that there is nothing out there that sounds so original. Mutemath does a tremendous job of getting your attention with their opening track The Nerve. They continue to pull you through an technicolor ride. The closing track Architecture leaves one with a wonderful after taste in your mouth. All in all this might be the best CD to come out in 2009. Everyone should give this album a spin just to hear a unique product that doesn't disappoint.

The singer used to lead a band called Earthsuit, but he stopped that because the style was too cryptic for what he was trying to express and very few people understood it. So when Mutemath came around, it was such a clear presentation of real issues that you couldn't misunderstand ("How long should it take somebody before they can be someone?" Typical)

I loved Mutemath's first CD because the combination of style and content was so personal and I could relate personally to every song. I expected a second CD to be a more refined expression of serious issues in a stylish, catching way, but I found that they let their presentation determine their content. I respect musicians who choose the appropriate style to express something personal, but it seems as if they let their unique style start wearing the pants. There are a few songs I perceive to be sincere: "The Nerve", "Pins and Needles", and "Goodbye".

If you like their style and don't care about the content, this is a great, unique CD. But I care about the content, too, and I don't like it.

As with the self-titled album, I knew it would take a few listens before any of the songs grew on me. That's how I am with Mute Math. I don't really care for their songs at first, but I end up loving them after a while. So, I bought the album and have been listening to nothing else for four days. It seems this album is an attempt to become more popular. In the last album, there were a lot of good guitar riffs, and this one has very few riffs that stand out as lead. Darren King's drumming is always impressive. On this album, though, it's like the wild beast has been contained. Everything sounds like it's based on the vocal melody. In their prior stuff, there were times in the song where it was all about the beat (reset, chaos, break the same) or the upright bass (obsolete, stare at the sun), but this album doesn't have anything like that.

Their lyrics have gotten much more obscure. It all sounds a little depressing, though. Overall, the things that make me like the album are the catchy melody on the chorus of "backfire," "Spotlight," and the string part on the chorus of "Goodbye." It's like they tried to make a whole album of "typical"s but didn't succeed in making any of them as catchy. ...just my two cents.

The goal was to embarrass their first album, which they nearly did. They definitely surpassed their last one, no doubt. It's the familiar rat a tat of the high hat, warm atmospheres, screaming guitar hooks and explosive vocals - but Armistice bests their previous album with their songwriting.

With the disco-flavored "Goodbye" and the down tempo trip-hop of "Backfire", Mutemath avoids the formulaic structure of their self-titled debut and gives the world their best work to date.

"Spotlight", aptly named, is still the strongest track on the album, or the one that deserves the status of "single", if that term has any relevance to what the band is going for. "Pins and Needles", sounds like a melancholy tribute to Sir Paul McCartney. Songs like "Electrify" and "The Nerve" continue in the familiar tradition of fast-moving, fist-pumping rock. While "Armistice" takes an experimental turn, mimicking "National Anthem" by Radiohead.

The melody and arranging are top-notch, and the lyrics blend well with the power of the melody. However, the lyrics contain little power themselves, which is the only thing that on this album that lets me down. Basically, I'm not entirely satisfied with "I wanna fly tonight, it's alright" or "my heart is an oven and she's pushin' the buttons". However, MuteMath does not find it's identity with it's lyrics, because virtually everything they do instrumentally is unique to them.

If you liked their first one, you'll love this one, if you hated their first album, or this is your first try at the band, they have done everything in their power to impress, and I think they can.

Four and half out of five

It would be hard to begin any review for Mutemath without mentioning their first (and only) self-titled LP. In it, Mutemath burst onto the scene with mainstream rock that is uneven and edgy enough to maintain Indie credibility. In other words, you were more likely to hear MuteMath on your local College Radio station rather than your local generic rock station.

Not so with their sophomore effort. Mutemath seem to have let go of their indie edge altogether and just aimed for mainstream radio hits. The result is quite disappointing, and continuing on this path will likely lead the band down a rather unfulfilling rock career.

Apparently about a year ago, Warner Bros execs heard some demos for Mutemath's new material and told them to scrap it all and start over. I can't help but wonder what that album would have sounded like. Presumably Warner wanted something more generic and radio ready. As Wilco's 2002 masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot taught us, doing the opposite of what Warner suggests is probably the best road to a long and successful career.

I have been an avid fan of MuteMath, even before the release of the self titled, which I love, and has been on regular rotation in my MP3 players since it came out in 2006, but this album certainly misses the mark.

Overall, it seems there is a desire for the album to coincide with growing trends in rock music, likely the fault of the new producer, which which exactly is where this album critically fails. Even after listening to the album many times in an attempt to have it grow on me, only a few tracks are really indisposable, namely "clipping" and "clockwork." If given a chance you may want to just download individual tracks, and in a recession it is much more economical too!

In some pre album release interviews, Paul stated that they had some music they worked on prior to the introduction of the new producer, but threw it out upon advisement. If that music made during the "lost year" is at least a bridge between the self titled and Armistice I will certainly be interested in getting that too.

I'm convinced of a few things. First being that this album is a great step for future MM material. I didn't want another TYPICAL and we sure as heck didn't get it on this album. This album is completely different from Self Titled and it's a good thing. I would call this album a "Grower". Personally I liked it from the get go, but it gets stronger with each spin. There are so many different genres of music on this I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. Ultimately I think ARMISTICE has a little bit of something for everyone.

The second thing I'm convinced of, after reading multiple reviews across the web, is that people don't like this album because they wanted MuteMath to stay Christian. They've openly stated they're not a Christian band, I don't care what their roots are. So get over it. To blast a band because their not praising God anymore i ridiculous.

This is a fantastic sophomore effort which will make for some fantastic live renditions. And let's be honest, it's all about the live show when it comes to MuteMath.

(4.5 out of 5 because some of the lyrics are kind of weak in certain spots)

Mutemath is such an amazing and talented band. Ive been waiting for this CD to come out for so long.... and it was well worth the wait! The album is a great mix of fast upbeat songs and some great slow ballads! The album is great all the way through! It wont be leaving my CD player for a long time! I cant wait to see them on tour in October!!!!!!