Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Mutemath

MUTEMATH
Quarantine

From: Odd Soul
Released: October 4

You may remember Mutemath from their 2007 video for Typical, a revolutionary clip that was shot with the music and action in reverse. If you do, you probably also remember Mutemath as kind of a standard, run-of-the-mill mid-aughts rock band; angular guitars, electronic flourishes, anthemic choruses, etc. Furthermore, if you answered "yes" to both A and B, after hitting "play" on the nicely embedded video and taking it in for the next seven minutes, you will probably need a moment to reflect on just what the hell you heard and then another moment to come to grips with the fact that this really is that same band you remembered.

Odd Soul is only Mutemath's third album, but it bears the stylistic leaps befitting a band with at least twice as many albums under their belts. After slightly tweaking their sound with 2009's Armistice, Mutemath set fire to the house before making Odd Soul, and it appears the only thing they saved from the aftermath was a stack of records by Yes, Stevie Wonder and Howlin' Wolf. Naysayers are quick to point out the recent success of the Black Keys and criticize Mutemath for infusing their sound with anything slightly resembling the blues, so as to insinuate that Mutemath are attempting to coast on the Black Keys' coattails for some cheap success. If they'd really listened to Odd Soul before making snap judgments, they'd have heard the band's intentions loud and clear, which can be loosely translated "give your head a shake, does this sound like an attempt at a mainstream crossover to you?"

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