mutemath

mutemath may seem like one of those random bands with a crazy-ass video that you never hear again (and yes, that is a keytar). but the more I listen to their album, the more interesting it gets. their sound is kind of like a mix between snow patrol, the doves, and incubus, though they seem to have influences ranging from radiohead to linkin park to… the police? in fact, reviews by critics and fans seem to think that the lead singer sounds like sting, but I’ll leave that up to you to judge…

Mutemath – Mutemath (released September 26, 2006)

1. Collapse

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

this intro and other interstitial tracks are what remind me most of linkin park.

2. Typical

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

you’ve already heard this… the lead single/music video for their album.

3. After We Have Left Our Homes

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

4. Chaos

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

probably the best song on the album. bits and pieces of incubus’ sound.

5. Noticed

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

and here is where the sting comparisons come into play. sounds like an updated version of a long-lost track from the police.

6. Without It

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

reminiscent of snow patrol’s work… though with more simplistic sounds than they’d typically employ.

7. Polite

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

8. Stare at the Sun

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

may sound experimental and thom yorke-esque at first, but it eventually evens out to a simple melody.

9. Obsolete

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

ambient piece that feels like a less-moody zero 7 or air.

10. Break the Same

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

one of my favorite songs on the album, this one’s definitely different from your typical radio track.

11. You Are Mine

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

not a big fan. here again, the sting comparisons are pretty obvious. very reminiscent of his boring ballads from the 90′s.

12. Picture

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

snow patrol meets the strokes.

13. Stall Out

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

moody and atmospheric, this could be by the doves from years past.