Armistice: Album Review
Artist: Mutemath
Album: Armistice
Release Date: August 18, 2009
Label: Warner Bros.
Genre: Undefined
ar⋅mi⋅stice [ahr-muh-stis]
–noun
a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties; truce
The aptly titled Armistice album is the result of a painful labor of frustration, in-fighting and near end to this phenomenal band. This is actually the second recording of this album. Towards the end of the first recording, the band was ready to call it quits. As they were on the verge of break-up, they did a gut check and decided if they really wanted to continue to make music together or just end it at that point. They decided to go for it, completely scrapped what they had recorded up to that point and brought in producer Dennis Herring to take the helm.
Many of the songs reflect the frustration of what had transpired over the course of recording this album. A major theme winding throughout is disillusion in regards to their faith. While never wanting to be labeled as a “Christian” band, even from their Earthsuit recordings, their lyrics always contained spiritual undertones which were very powerful. This time around the guys are much more reflective and cynical. Where their self-titled long player “Mutemath” was more of an exuberant album, Armisitice finds the band doing a lot more soul searching and the result is…well, somewhat somber.
I’m going to split up the review into a breakdown of the lyrics and the music separately because…well, because I want to.
Lyrics
Backfire which will most likely the 1st single off the album exemplifies the Armistice theme. “There goes another one of our sure fired plans, that backfired again.” You begin to sense the frustration dripping from the music. They put together a group of songs, everything is planned out and then they “watch it all crumble down”.
The frustration hits a crescendo on the title track Armistice when Paul says “I know it’s all my fault, I will take the fall if it takes us somewhere.” I can identify with that sentiment more than I care to admit. I just get the vibe that the whole recording process was so frustrating when you have 4 talented musicians trying to agree on everything from lyrics, sound, composition and everything that goes into completing a song. Paul stated in an interview that everyone can play eachother’s instruments and sometimes one would play a part better than the other. Trying to decide who’s part was the best and what to use and what to cut was causing major tension throughout the entire recording process.
The majority of lyrics actually focus on what I would call a theme of disillusion. They are definitely at a point in questioning their faith, if not coming to a place of losing hope completely. I can identify with many of these lyrics at some point in my life. On Pins And Needles, Paul sings “Sometimes I get tired of pins and needles, facades are a fire on the skin, and I’m growing fond of broken people as I see that I am one of them”. I know I’ve experienced that point in my life where I can identify with imperfect people once I’ve stopped to reflect on my own hypocrisies of faith. You realize that you aren’t what you are expected to be and you are tired of faking it. That identification can initially be pretty brutal, and that’s what I feel from this song.
In No Response you witness the frustrations of calling out to an empty sky. “Maybe when we reach the end, we’ll ask imaginary friends why no response?” But the most honest cry comes from the stellar track Clipping. The emotion in Paul’s voice shows the earnest cry of his heart when he says “I don’t know who to fight anymore, I don’t know what is right anymore. I don’t know what to feel anymore, I don’t know what is real anymore.” This is the most truthful song because of it’s vulnerability. Cynicism is put to the side for a moment and traded with a honest cry for truth.
The standout track lyrically is Electrify but not because it is great…because it is mediocre. Penned by Adam Laclave who was a former singer in the band Earthsuit, we see for the first time superficial lyrics in a Mutemath song. Paul typically writes songs that are poetic, profound and open to interpretation…definitely art. Here we find him singing, unconvincingly I might add, “All I can think about is me and her electrified, I hope that some day she might take me home and lose control.” It just seems like a step backwards, not just in content, but in quality.
Music
The music may be a little of an acquired taste to all us tried and true Mutemath fans. They have definitely matured their sound and ventured out with more experimentation. Mutemath has evolved from more rock/rap and ska group with Earthsuit to the electro/pop of their 1st LP. This album finds them stretching their creativity to the limit by incorporating strings, a funk band and even a ukelele!
I’ll be honest, at first I was a little disappointed. I actually got to go the the listening party on the tour bus to hear the album about a week before it came out. I was expecting an Epic-sized version of the already insanely energetic 1st album. The combination of the more cynical lyrics and drop in overall BPM of the songs was a little off-putting due to a general drop in the energy level.
While not liking Backfire at all on first listen, it is now one of my favorite tracks on the album. If you listen closely to everything that is happening with the instruments and programming, it is just well-crafted and Paul’s voice brings out the energy of the track.
Goodbye is a great summertime love song. It makes me want to cruise down A1A with the top down, breeze flowing through my hair and the stereo cranked to 11. This is how a pop song should be done.
While I’m not a fan of the lyrics, I can’t deny the fire and intensity of Electrify. Darren’s machine gun drumming is like a Drum N Bass song. He is amazing.
Pins And Needles is such a stand out because of the combination of the strings, drum tempo and the way Paul sings the lyrics. I don’t know how to describe it other than this is what is “sounds” like to be on Pins and Needles.
Burden is just a straight up funky song which is another one that benefits from the way Paul sings the lyrics. He rides the beat like an artist channeling the soul of his hometown.
Clipping is probably my favorite song on the album. It doesn’t sound like anything they have ever done. It is a sonic masterpiece. Paul just goes crazy on the keys and the drum beat is off the charts.
The two songs that fall short for me are Odds and Lost Year. They suffer from nothing other than the rest of the songs are so vanguard. While solid tracks, they just pale in comparison to everything else on the album.
By far, the crown jewel of the album is the title track Armistice. From the horns and percussion played by the stellar New Orleans band Rebirth Brass Band, to the extremely funky bass playing of Roy, this song excels on all fronts. From the moment the first riff comes off of Greg’s guitar, your body is already telling you to get up and dance. I love that they embraced their roots in New Orleans and showed the synergy of the soul of their city with the heart of this group.
Three weeks later and 30+ spins of the album has opened it up like an aged wine. The more I listen, I am able to hear new things on the tracks and I get a new song that I like most. That’s a solid indicator of a well-crafted album. The more you listen, the more you love it.
Conclusion
One thing I didn’t touch on in the Lyrics section is Paul’s voice. What sets Mutemath apart from every other band that is out there is his unparalleled voice. Words can’t fully do justice to the dynamics to it. He’s definitely one of my favorite singers of all time…which is no small compliment.
Overall this album is stellar. While it may be an acquired taste for longtime fans, new fans will be asking themselves why they haven’t heard of this band already. If that’s you, I highly recommend you go back to check out their 1st album.
The creativity and growth on this album is amazing. I’ll categorize the songs as such:
- Mutemath Squared (similar but updated feel)
The Nerve, Goodbye, Spotlight - Mutemath Cubed (last album on steroids)
Electrify, Burden - Uncharted Territory (stretching the limits of sounds and creativity):
Backfire, Clipping, Pins And Needles, Armistice
I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability of this album. While I could go off on a whole tangent about Christian bands vs. bands that have Christian members and going mainstream, I’ll save that for another day. I think a lot of people of faith will be able to relate to these lyrics at some point. I just hope that the self-righteous won’t be the first to throw stones at these guys. We’ve all been at a place where we question our faith. I just pray that they find what they are looking for.
Rating
9/10
Track Listing
1. The Nerve
2. Backfire
3. Clipping
4. Spotlight
5. No Response
6. Pins And Needles
7. Goodbye
8. Odds
9. Electrify
10. Armistice
11. Lost Year
12. Burden
13. *Architecture
*iTunes only
