Mutemath

by Stewart Mason
Giddily swiping ideas from several decades' worth of alternative rock, New Orleans' electro-rock quartet Mute Math at times recalls New Order's synth-dance epics, the shambling shuffle of the Stone Roses and the rest of the Madchester scene, the spiky chilliness of prime Radiohead, Air's serene ambient pop, and somewhat incongruously, the booming vocals of mainstream alt-rockers of the post-Eddie Vedder era. Singer and keyboardist Paul Meany, formerly of the Christian rock group Earthsuit, was living and working in New Orleans when in 2001 he began a long-distance musical correspondence with drummer and programmer Darren King, who was based in Springfield, MO. Sending CD-Rs back and forth up the Mississippi River, Meany and King wrote enough songs together to convince King to relocate to New Orleans and start a proper band. Adding guitarist Greg Hill and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas, the new band completed the Meany-King compositions in 2003; Meany took the resulting demo to noted CCM producer Tedd T., who was enthusiastic enough to start the indie label Teleprompt Records to release 2004's Reset EP. The EP was successful enough to allow Mute Math and Teleprompt to negotiate a distribution deal with Warner Brothers, which reissued the EP in 2005. Although Mute Math completed their self-titled debut full-length that same year, disputes between Teleprompt and Warner Brothers about how the album was to be marketed delayed its release for nearly a year. Because Warner Brothers wanted to promote Mute Math as a CCM band instead of an alternative rock band, thereby limiting their mainstream exposure, Mute Math and Teleprompt Records filed suit claiming breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation. The band's website announced that the suit was settled out of court, concurrent with the signing of an improved deal with Warner Brothers. An expanded version of Mute Math, featuring remastered tracks from Reset and a bonus limited-edition live EP, was released on September 26, 2006.