Mute Math

To be a musician and hail from New Orleans this year is to have the world's ear -- up to a point. That very same world would probably demand that your group have some kind of universally recognizable blues or R&B packed away in its rowboat and expect that you hold Christian values but not get into any esoteric shit about the light in the sky if there's not a Hammond organ nearby. Which is probably why Aaron Neville sang the national anthem at Super Bowl XL instead of Mute Math, a group that combines the high energy of the Police with the rootless experimentation of Radiohead. This amazing four-piece -- which in 2004 became the first to sign with gospel and hip-hop producer Tedd T's Teleprompt label -- creates an alchemy of prog rock, jazz and electronica with live sampling and homemade guitars that look like last-place science-fair projects.