As the wise man Albert Einstein once said: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” you could argue that there aren’t many sane bands around if you were to apply this quote to the slew of unoriginal bands out there. The same bands that are using the same formula’s, same chord structures and same cliche lyrics. Odd Soul Mutemath’s new release is in a league of it’s own, it’s original, it’s refreshing and it rocks (literally).
I have never heard Mutemath release the same thing twice, in-fact they’re one of those rare underrated bands constantly evolving their sound without a care in the world for what critics and fans think of their new-found direction. It takes some balls to veer off into a new direction and release something completely different than anything else you’ve ever released, the kind of balls most bands don’t have. This is without-a-doubt the most adventurous and creative sounding release Mutemath have ever put out.
Right from the get-go, Odd Soul captures your attention with the title track which has a very fuzzy blues rock sounding feel to it that sounds heavily reminiscent of The Black Keys with a little White Stripes influence thrown in. The second track on the album “Prytania” just so happens to be one of my most favourite tracks on the album (I hate to keep making comparisons) but the start of the song sort of reminded me of a band called The Sword with the psychedelic but subtle solo guitar parts in the background which has a 70′s rock feel to it, in-fact the whole album has a 70′s rock feel too it in one way or another.
The first single from the album “Blood Pressure” is a jive filled, blues driven song that has a catchy chorus and amazing drum work from drummer of the band Darren King. In certain parts it feels like you’re listening to a song written by Wolfmother complete with semi-high vocals from vocalist Paul Meany who takes his vocal range and capabilities to new heights on this album.
Even though Mutemath have ventured into psychedelic rock territory joining the likes of bands like The Sword and The Black Keys, the core foundations of the band from Darren King’s above-average drumming to Paul Meany’s diverse vocal range are still there that fans loved about their previous releases. This album is the exact opposite of what everyone else is releasing at the moment and I love it.
The masterpiece, to use an analogy the Mona Lisa of Odd Soul is without-a-doubt the track “Quarantine” which carries just over 7 minutes in track time. Perfectly crafted fuzzy guitar riffs, psychedelically distorted bass lines and tasteful electronic mix-ins, with the track eventually slowing down in pace to let Paul Meany do his thing and show off his new-found vocal capabilities. Once again Darren King blows our minds and delivers perfect drum-work during the outro of this track.
Odd Soul is definitely going to lose the band a few fans and in the process gain twice as many as they previously had. This album will garner critics proclaiming it’s nothing more than a heavily influenced Black Keys album, upon the first full listen of this album it’s easy to see Odd Soul is anything but a work of art. Every finite detail from each instrument, to the production and mastering sounds authentic and perfect.
Forget the Mutemath you thought you knew, this is Mutemath 2.0, a band by the sounds of it making the kind of music they’ve most likely been wanting to create for a long time now. (http://killhipsters.com/2011/10/mutemath-odd-soul-album-review/)
1. Odd Soul
2. Prytania
3. Blood Pressure
4. Heads Up
5. All Or Nothing
6. Sunray
7. Allies
8. Cavalries
9. Walking Paranoia
10. One More
11. Equals
12. Quarantine
13. In No Time
info |
http://mutemath.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mutemath
