Steve Gilmore Reviews: Muted Silence - Mind Plays Games

Hear The Track Here

Artist: Muted Silence
Title: Mind Plays Games

Muted Silence is a collaborative effort from two of Soundclick's electronica fraternity - CJ Freq X and Nuff X. Seems only natural that they go together innit? After all, they share the same surname right? ;) This is my third time round with this band because I reviewed their X3 (September 2005) track and was a bit more than lukewarm about it ie it didn't impress me overly much. Then I did like Dsylexic Angel (January 2006) a very tasty slice of electronica that signalled the duo's increasing musical tightness and also showed the increasing use of detail in their track, materially and technically.

No surprise then that Mind Plays Games is as far ahead of Dsylexic Angel as that was to X3. The giant steps theory definitely holds true of this pairing when comparing them like-for-like, particularly when most of their material features a dark, brooding edge that has become a bit of a trademark. This darkness really comes to the fore in Mind Plays Games, a fact that will strike you from the very first note. Although they are two extremely different talents, the interplay between their different technical and practical skills is what informs the bulk of their work and Mind Plays Games is a seamless example of what they do best.

Based around a theme of coulrophobia, or at least a clown called Tiffany (I had a date with her once and she frightened me too) who 'makes all her friends dead'. Hmmmmm, yummy. Not exactly the kinda stuff to play on a dark, stormy night then, but a track that I feel Muted Silence can feel justifiably proud of. With its overtones (very slight admittedly) of the darker side of Depeche Mode (wait!, did they have a light side?), Mind Plays Games is - right now anyway - Muted Silence's finest hour. Certainly the peice of electronica I have heard in a while and one that I feel will do just as well outside of its genre as it will within it. It's the clammy feel of it that will eventually reel you in, and it's that atmosphere that makes this track happen for me as indeed it may for you too.

Highly recommended considering it's dark electronica.