Today's featured band hails from New Orleans, LA and calls themselves Mute Math. Their sound is very difficult to describe. I would classify them in the "math rock" sub-genre of rock. And, no, that's not for bands who write songs about math. That would terrify me. Math rock refers to the style of meters used in the songs, almost never the traditional 4/4. Read the linked Wikipedia article. It does a better job than I can at explaining it.
Their music has been described as a blend of rock guitar with dance/techno beats - except not done by a machine. If you ever get a chance to see the drummer in action, do it. Its nuts. The show starts with him duct taping his headphones to his head so they don't come off. He moves around. A lot. Some of the keyboard parts seem jazz-inspired and the vocals showcase a very strong New Orleans style. I know from my description they sound like a mess, but you really have to hear it to understand it.
Whatever you do, don't call them a Christian band (even though they've opened for David Crowder, Mae, and Switchfoot). Warner Brothers/Word Records made that mistake and got sued. Their lyrics have strong spiritual overtones, much in the same way as Switchfoot, Mae, and Jars of Clay. While they originally signed with Warner Brothers, the label was pushing their marketing through their Word Records subsidy, which infuriated the band. They did not want to be marketed that way and shoved into that box creatively, so they sued the label for breach of contract and went off on their own. They're still considered underground, but are rapidly gaining popularity. In fact, due to the aforementioned label dispute, their marketing has been solely word-of-mouth and Internet based. They keep a tight community of followers by blogging their way through each show and posting videos from the road.
Their first "real" album was released in January (the previous one was an EP), and will only be available at their shows until Fall 2006, though I think you can find them online. They've managed to achieve quite a lot without a label...something rare in the music scene. Check out their website at http://www.mutemath.com. It redirects to their MySpace page where there's some sample songs you can listen to. Oh, yeah, the lead singer plays a keytar!
"Chaos"
Complication is my claim to fame
I can’t believe there’s another,
Constantly just another
And I can’t avoid what I can’t control
I’m losing ground, still I can’t stand down
I Know, yeah I know yeah
I know you stay true when my world is false
Everything around’s breaking down to chaos
I always see you when my sight is lost
Everything around’s breaking down to chaos
It’s hard to trust anyone again
After all the let downs I’ve been through
Haunted by what I’ve been through.
Air’s still trapped
While I still can’t breathe
And I’m screaming out
Give me help somehow
I know, yeah I know yeah
I know you stay true when my world is false
Everything around’s breaking down to chaos
I always see you when my sight is lost
Everything around’s breaking down to chaos
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