MuteMath

iTunes Review

Sonically spacey and lyrically spiritual, Mute Math borrows from a host of pop/rock influences on its 2006 self-titled debut album. You can hear elements of the Police, Peter Gabriel, and Radiohead simmering in this New Orleans-based band’s atmospheric musical blend, united by a Christian sensibility that insinuates more than it preaches. Singer/keyboardist Paul Meany floats upon drummer Darren King’s slippery grooves with the air of an enraptured pilgrim, seeking answers amidst the snares of earthly life. Tunes like “Typical,” “Chaos,” and “Stall Out” wrestle with matters of life and faith against woozy rhythms and liquid synthesizer lines. Mute Math can churn up waves of ominous sound, as the roiling “Collapse” and the angular “Reset” demonstrate. And they can unleash crisp pop shots like “Noticed” or slide into hypnotic shuffles like “Obsolete” without stumbling. The band’s songs seem more about striving for a glimpse of Truth than resting in the arms of the angels, and this sense of restlessness adds drama to the album, elevating it above the typical output of Christian rock combos. Mute Math may prefer the dreamy to the definite, but there’s no mistaking the eloquence of its music in these tracks.