Piątek 25 Gru 2009, 20:21
Most of the entries on this list have come from out of the blue; random songs caught my attention which progressed to listening to the albums. The latest from Mute Math, however, was one which I was eagerly awaiting for. After their stellar self-titled debut and a waiting period of three years, Armistice arrived. I was lucky enough to grab the album, give it a couple of listens, then catch the band live while on tour to support the new release. I was impressed on both fronts, but more so by their live performance. The group truly looked like they were having a fun time as the interspersed hits from their first album with the new material. Lead singer Paul Meany has a fantastic and distinctive voice and, along with vibrant drumming, really brings life to the tracks. Listen to him shout “Set it on fire” on opening track “Nerve” and prepare yourself to feel like starting an uprising. At less than three minutes, it’s short, sweet and immediately progresses to “Backfire”, a track that slows down the pace and highlights the aforementioned bombastic drumming. “Clipping” slows things down even more and adds more of the synth and straight piano elements seen throughout their first CD. Some of the songs do have issues. “Spotlight” sounds very similar to “Nerve” (or is it the other way around) while “Electrify” feels like it borrowed some of the vocal melody’s from Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” (Ugh). “Lost Year” is 100 percent ballad, and really feels bland being sandwiched between “Burden” and title track “Armistice” - both very percussion heavy, pop exhibitions. “Burden” is particularly fun, with a drum solo outro, as well as rather dreamy vocals similar to “Break the Same” featured on their debut. My vote is that it should have been the end track, where at number 13, “Clockwork” feels a little unnecessary and should have been regulated to b-side status. While the album is no sophomore slump, it is a bit of a step-back from their debut, focusing less on the dynamics of the music. Still worth checking out for anyone looking for more advanced pop music than what the distilled concoctions played on the radio.
- Highlights -
“Clipping”
“No Response”
“Armistice”
“Burden”