"Typical" by MUTEMATH, Tuesday, March 22, 2022
We all have a past, and we are all measured by the mistakes and accomplishments that we've made in our past. And just because we want to turn over a new leaf doesn't mean that others see the new us as we want to be seen now. Take, for example, today's band, an indie rock band from New Orleans. After the demise of the Christian rock band Earthsuit, several members went on to form an experimental rock band called MUTEMATH.
I'VE WORKED IN THE BLAZING SUN. Earthsuit gained acclaim both in and outside of Christian circles. Members of dc Talk and Delirious? and Rebecca St. James all proclaimed that Earthsuit's artistic, experimental yet well-produced record Kaleidoscope Superior was what the future of Christian music looked like. But Earthsuit departed from Sparrow Records and released an independent album, The Rise of Modern Simulation, that failed to reach the level of success of its predecessor. By 2003, the band that came "from '98 to '99, 2000 and beyond" decided to call it quits with lead singer Adam LeClave starting a band called Macrosick and backing vocalist/rapper/keyboardist Paul Meany forming MUTEMATH with fellow Earthsuit drummer Darren King and bassist Roy Mitchell. MUTEMATH produced an EP titled Reset which contained the band's first radio singles marketed to Christian rock radio: "Control" and "Peculiar People," the latter being one of the band's most explicitly Christian songs based on Titus 2:14
I KNOW THERE'S GOT TO BE ANOTHER LEVEL. Paul Meany, MUTEMATH producer Tedd Tjornhom (Tedd T), and manager Kevin Kookogey founded their own label, Teleprompt Records, in 2003 and signed a distribution deal with Warner Music shortly after. Warner tried to release their music through their Christian imprint, Word Records. Word released Reset in 2004, capitalizing on the band’s Christian fanbase. But when the band released their eponymous full-length album, Teleprompt and MUTEMATH sued Warner Music not to include the band on their Christian subsidiary. MUTEMATH’s intention was general market distribution. While the lawsuit took place, the original version of MUTEMATH was shelved. The band toured and sold the CDs at their shows in January 2006. The lawsuit ended with a re-negotiated contract, a re-mastered and rereleased debut in September 2006, and a radio single, "Typical." With the release of their first album, MUTEMATH obtained coveted tours, late-night show spots, and buzz that should have made them one of the staples in late '00s alternative/indie rock. The band was also boosted when American Idol contestant Chris Sligh sang "Typical" on the show. What went wrong with MUTEMATH? I stopped listening past the band's follow-up, Armistice, because I felt that their style and mine were going down different paths. Their songs no longer spoke to me the way that punk, emo, and pop did. Maybe the band never really followed up on their first hit, but they certainly aren't defined by it. But somehow, I still think that nothing beats listening to Earthsuit on my three-disc changer. MUTEMATH has some of those elements, but it still feels lacking.
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