MUTEMATH’S Odd Soul is a cornucopia of adverse musical genres. Never failing to conjure up any given emotion, MUTEMATH have the innate musical ability to create something that simultaneously sounds old and new. Surprisingly, Odd Soul was my intro into the MUTEMATH catalog which, given the constant positive press I’ve both read and heard by word of mouth, has been a long time coming.
Like previous albums, the rhythm section is always spot-on. Throughout Odd Soul’s various chord, time and tempo changes, the B and D combo always seem congeniality connected, which is something that not only gives the band the extra ‘omph’ to set it apart from the rest, but also allows the other members much more room to exercise their versatility.
“All or Nothing” was the first song that really caught me, with its 80’s synths and wave-like momentum. It’s the first marker on the album where lead vocalist Paul Meany sheds his rock n’ roll mantra and cushions into an earthier and more somber attitude. His voice changes from that of a soulful blues rock archetype, which is one of the main motifs that’s visited on the album, to resembling Thom York, which is something he has every right to boast about.
The album’s closer, “In No Time”, ends on a very high note as Meany sings “where’s your heart gone and where’s your soul, we’ll find it in to time at all.” A very beautiful piece, it’s amazing to see the contrast between that and songs like “Odd Soul” and “Prytania.” If these songs weren’t contained in the same album I’d bet they were two different bands.
Odd Soul is a terrific album, and MUTEMATH are an incredible band. The only possible problem is that there is no one particular song that really pops out, meaning the inconsistency can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. After being able to properly digest Odd Soul, I’m very interested in obtaining the bands other albums, if not only for the fact that this band is so damn talented that I can’t wait to hear what else they’ve come up with. After properly listening to MUTEMATH, I can safely say that the all the positive press was in the right place.
