My Two Cents: Mute Math - Armistice

It happened to dc Talk after Jesus Freak. And now it seems to be happening to Mute Math. From what I've read about both dcT and MM, during the writing process for Supernatural and Armistice, respectively, Toby McKeehan's (of dc Talk) and Paul Meany's (of Mute Math) bandmates demanded to have equal input into the songwriting. Some bands thrive in that kind of creative democracy; others, not so much. Some musical outfits succeed most when an extraordinary front(wo)man takes the lead, calls many of the shots, and then relies on his/her bandmates to fill in the blanks to craft a great batch of songs. McKeehan and Meany are visionary artists whose work is best when it is allowed the opportunity to be fully realized.

dc Talk's Supernatural was fine, but it lacked the fire that Free at Last and Jesus Freak delivered. Similarly, Mute Math's Armistice seems to suffer from the democratic process. Meany's passion is missing, as is the band's explosive musical energy. Gone are the rock anthems MM has served up in the past -- "Control," "Chaos," "Typical."

 

While I understand the complexities of band personalities, individual creative needs, the art of compromise, contracts, industry survival, etc., I am an ultimate champion of "the song." That being my focus, I hope that the wizards once again take the helm and rescue me from the middle-of-the-road mush that oftentimes results from democratic dilution. 

 

In the end, Armistice is not a bad record. It's just not a great record; certainly not the album that I expected to follow its brilliant predecessor.