Last weekend, I saw a couple of the best musical acts around share the stage over at Club Nokia in L.A. I'd seen both bands previously, but this happened to both bands' best show to date... at least in my opinion.
As Tall As Lions took the stage first. If you've never heard these guys before, let me tell you that they are the kings of discordancy (I'm quite possibly making up that word). The ability these guys have to stitch together melodies with discordant harmonies isn't simply incredible, but inspiring to anyone that's musically inclined. Even though I was there to see Mute Math, the 45 minute set played by these guys was the perfect precursor in talent as well as energy. They have a new album out, and if you're interested in checking it out, there's a link below.
Mute Math took the stage next, and though there were people in there that had seen them before, I don't think most of the crowd knew what to expect. Starting off with 'The Nerve' and 'Backfire', it seemed as though they were going to run through Armistice in its entirety, but they quickly threw a wrench in that idea by jumping over to 'Chaos' from their self-titled debut. The set was a replica of the album cover, which made for the perfect electric drum-kit for 'No Response'. I have to say that of the 4 Mute Math shows I've seen to date, this one had the best lighting by far!
Following that, the guys jumped into 'Plan B' all the way from the Reset EP, and this is when the fun started. Jumping off and over the keyboard, rocking the keytar, and Paul's dancing that I would love to learn someday, dispersed throughout the rest of the set. 'Stare At The Sun' was greeted by cheer at the familiar bass line, and featured an extended instrumentation with Roy, Paul and Darren doing some crazy stuff with the percussion.
'Electrify' and 'Armistice made for some energy-filled songs, and 'Burden' was where the guys made their pre-encore stand. With Greg rocking an amazing solo and then getting on the xylophone, and Paul's haunting yet playful yelps filling the vocal emptiness, there wasn't a better way for them to exit the stage... just to make it back a few minutes later. A couple more songs later, Mute Math decided to end the night with 'Break the Same', one of my favorite songs of theirs, and one where they went all out. Paul was somersaulting back and forth over the keys and while the other guys were holding down the rhythm, Darren grabs the bass drum into the audience, gets on top of it, and jumps backwards into the crowd to surf. By far one of the most memorable moments in my Mute Math live experience.
As I was exiting the venue, I lost track of the number of people I heard talking about how they were entirely blown away. So if you haven't seen them yet, and they're coming out to a venue near you, grab some tickets and some friends, and go check them out. You won't regret it.
Setlist:
The Nerve
Backfire
Chaos
Clipping
No Response
Plan B
Stare At The Sun
Electrify
Armistice
You Are Mine
Odds
Notice
Typical
Burden
Encore:
Pins And Needles
Spotlight
Reset
Break The Same
Mute Math - Armistice (2nd Line Version) feat. Rebirth Brass Band
Mute Math Website | MySpace Page | Buy Armistice on iTunes
