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The Mute Gods: Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
 Here we have the debut InsideOut Records release from the trio that are calling themselves The Mute Gods. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me features Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett), Roger King (Steve Hackett) and drummer extraordinaire Marco Minneman (Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani, The Aristocrats), and the threesome have crafted a collection of soaring, melodic songs that bridge vintage progressive rock with lush, catchy pop better than anything you'll have likely heard in recent memory.
King's gorgeous keyboard tapestries are littered throughout this set, and if you've followed his career with Steve Hackett you no doubt are already aware of his superb talents. Just listen to his lovely layerings on the pop sheen of "Nightschool for Idiots", also a wonderful vehicle for Begg's soaring vocals and classy guitar licks & chapman stick. The title track and "Feed the Troll" offer up more serious prog moments, at times reminding of late '70s era Genesis (think And Then There Were Three and Duke), with intricate drum fills from Minneman, haunting vocals, and plenty of sizzling keys. "Your Dark Ideas" is one of the more upbeat tunes here, slightly heavy, as is the rocking "In the Crosshairs", complete with some nasty guitar riffs from Beggs, while the lengthy "Swimming Horses" dives into lush, pastoral prog, as majestic keyboards, sinewy bass, tasty guitar, and passionate vocals again remind of Genesis, or even vintage Camel. Beggs' daughter adds some lovely vocals to the dreamy closer "Father Daughter", making for a fun duo with Dad on this melodic prog/pop number.
Enjoyable, soothing, at times adventurous, and quite memorable, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me is a fun album that proves to be a more than solid effort from the meeting of these three musical minds. Recommended.
Track Listing
1. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (7:45)
2. Praying To A Mute God (5:06)
3. Nightschool For Idiots (6:00)
4. Feed The Troll (4:55)
5. Your Dark Ideas (4:41)
6. Last Man On Earth (5:30) (bonus track)
7. In The Crosshairs (3:18)
8. Strange Relationship (6:10)
9. Swimming Horses (7:05)
10. Mavro Capelo (5:10) (bonus track)
11. Father Daughter (4:09)
Added: April 17th 2016
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2333
Language: english
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The Mute Gods: Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2016-04-17 23:21:03
My Score:
Nick Beggs has really made a name for himself. Beggs surged into the pop world in 1983 with the band Kajagoogoo and their monster hit "Too Shy". After the band's early '80s success he went on to work with the likes of Seal, Belinda Carlisle, John Paul Jones, Cliff Richard, Midge Ure, Gary Numan…and the list goes on. More recently he has set the progressive rock world on fire as a member of Iona, Fish On Friday, Lifesigns and his contribution on Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisted II project. Of course we can't forget his work with Steven Wilson on tour and on his Hand. Cannot. Erase. album. A prolific player indeed.
This brings us to Beggs' new band The Mute Gods and their album Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me. Let's just cut to the chase; this is a stunning album as Beggs touches on all his influences from the pop, rock and progressive worlds. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without friends helping out. The threesome includes:
Beggs (bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals)
Roger King (keyboards, guitars, programming)
Marco Minnemann (drums, guitars, programming).
There is also an impressive array of guests including;
Lula Beggs (vocals)
Rob Reed (guitars, keyboards)
Frank Van Bogaert (vocals, keyboards)
Rick Wilde ((vocals, keyboards)
Adam Holzman (keyboards)
Gary O'Toole (drums)
Nick D'Virgilio (drums)
The first tune is the immediately catchy title track starting with radio static soon followed by a cool keyboard riff and intricate cymbal work. It all builds with the musical layers getting louder before Beggs' ultra-catchy lead vocals take hold. This could be a gateway to progressive rock for those unfamiliar with the genre as it really is that catchy while still retaining some complex elements. The concept is also weighty delving into a dystopian world view. "Praying To A Mute God" is a little more poppy venturing from softer instrumentation to quite heavy chaotic meanderings that make perfect sense. Some fat bass work here including an excellent stick solo as Beggs wields his instrument like an axe slinger. Beggs' sarcasm comes through loud and clear on the charming "Night School For Idiots", a laid back smart slice of melodic pop with proggy twists here and there including some moody stick and guitar work. On "Feed The Troll", a song touching on the detriment of our screen technologies, the band has a Saga-like sound including the lead vocals. Another stand out track. The hard driving groove of "Your Dark Ideas" features a dense, heavy sound with great keys and another amazing stick solo. Those are the first five tracks, there are four more that are as equally entertaining.
What a great album this is. It would be a real shame if there wasn't a follow up. I would love to hear where the band goes from here. Another stellar release on Inside Out Music.
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