Every time I hear a new MUTEMATH full-length album for the first time, I have the same negative reaction: “Oh no! They’ve gone too pop!” I even did this the first time I heard “Typical” played live in concert before the release of their epic self-titled debut. But then I live with the album for awhile and it grows on me and I learn to really enjoy it. So it is with this release, Play Dead, which sounds very similar to Vitals, but also stays true to the MUTEMATH sound that they established from Armistice onwards. It relies more on the songs than the way-out-there samples, sounds and offbeat jamming.
Paul Meany has seemingly been comfortable with his voice since the band’s debut EP. This is a good thing, because this strength is capitalized on from the very first notes of “Hit Parade,” which starts off Play Dead, all the way through “Marching to the End.” This is unmistakably MUTEMATH. Many of the songs will sound familiar, though they are new, like “Nuisance” and “Marching…” They both hearken back to the slow and thoughtful piano instrumentation and breathing lyrical delivery of Odd Soul‘s “No Time.”
The lyricist (Meany, I assume) asks God to give him more time. And then in “Achilles Heel,” he sings:
I’m a man on a mission
Working hard for the vision
I preach love all around but I can’t get these clowns to listen
I will die as a martyr
A brimstone firestarter
And proud to burn down the town, to drown it in the baptismal water
In “Break the Fever,” he waxes:
I’ve got nothing to prove and no one ’round to care if I did
My head is burning up from all the doubts that overcrowd it
It’s fascinating work to observe, listen to and feel.
“Pixie Oaks” is a lighthearted song, taking a jngly romp through mid-90s psychedelic alt-pop with some almost Motown rhythms that beg to be clapped along to. It’s guitar driven, as opposed to the keyboards. The tube amp tone is cool and the drumming is rather dry. It’s unmistakable MUTEMATH and Armistice flavored.
“Stroll On” might be a tune that Meany plays his keytar to in a live setting. It’s got a groovy infectious rhythm. This song might as well be a ride in a modern music Disneyland, as the melody takes you along on a joyful, forget-your-troubles ride.
In “Placed on Hold,” Meany’s voice soars and it’s easy for your heart and soul to go along. You could almost say he’s like the EDM/alt-rock Adele. There’s nothing similar in the song style and it’s not classic rock by any stretch, but he’s got one of those voices that’ll fill the room up and just captivate the listener.
It’s bittersweet listening to this album, even as it grows on me, knowing that drummer extraordinaire Darren King will no longer be bashing the skins for MUTEMATH.
Like only the best of the prog rock bands can do, when MUTEMATH goes into a jam, you actually want to listen to it and you go along with them. It’s not exactly self-indulgent, even though it’s sometimes crazy.
MUTEMATH hasn’t really stretched any boundaries like they did when they burst on the scene almost a decade and a half ago, but they continue to craft songs and melodies worth your time and attention. While reeling itself back in from incessant jamming, they still rock with a smartness that supports the song, keeps it tight, memorable and melodic. Moving forward without leaps and bounds, all the while able to satisfy the distinctly MUTEMATH appetite of a growing fanbase.
—Review by Doug Van Pelt
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