Nadeem Salaam
“Here is one of the indie-rock megastars (you should see their Japan shows) that is in my book of top underrated and under appreciated bands. Mutemath have been wowing audiences since 2005-2006 through their herculean effort towards mastery in all the domains artistry can reach; in ways bands can only hope and at times unfathomably ever achieve. From their innovative music videos, (their first video for Typical featured them painstakingly performing the entire video backwards and then re-enacted it live on Jimmy Kimmel) to their energetic and innovative shows—that at any moment
—feature homemade instruments, and their prodigy drummer Darren King pouring water over his drums and playing them to an explosion of water. Or even passing floor-toms to audience members to hold so that King can swim out into the abyss of fans, stand on said floor tom, and dive into the audiences loving arms! (As shown on the left.)
They were listed as one of the top ten performances ever on The David Letterman Show, (David Letterman quite literally doesn’t know what to say and his reaction is pretty priceless)
It’s hard to believe Mutemath’s last record Odd Soul came out in 2011. While not indicative of the creative-stew that gave birth to their self-titled and Armistice, Odd Soul featured a new guitarist who was not in the vein of their first. His style and a mixture of the band adjusting honestly produced a record that could have been worse. (While on the surface it sounds a bit of a deviation, if you listen closely, it’s Mutemath under the layer of more soul, just less ambiance.)
Monument seems to already capture the first record’s breathability and grace; if Mutemath was an element, they’d be Air. Paul Meany’s vocals have gotten better with every international tour and record as hard as that is to maintain; Mutemath has always had a self-care integrity to the band, it shows in their work and their efforts, efforts the industry should be watching to learn from because they are all a monument to being an artist. I’ll be one of the many few catching them live on their national sold out tour when they stop by Crooklyn, performing their second New York date after Mercury Lounge at Baby’s Alright in Williamsburg. In fact, I was filthy heathen who purchase the LAST ticket that made that show, SOLDOUT.”
Purchase: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monument-single/id1030763323