Are you in the mood to inflict a headache upon yourself? If the answer is yes, then no problem -- slap on your headphones, load up the 2007 release by
the Number Twelve Looks Like You,
Mongrel, hit play, and voilà!, you should soon get your wish. This is certainly one of the "busiest" rock releases you're likely to hear, as it appears that
the Number Twelve Looks Like You's main goal is to cram as much musical activity as humanly possible into each composition. And the gentlemen are quite adept at their respective instruments -- it's pretty intimidating to think how much practice and woodshedding they must have endured to get these complicated math formula-esque compositions sounding just right. The bandmembers have obviously studied their
Mars Volta and
Dillinger Escape Plan albums from front to back, as evidenced by such supersonic freakouts as "Imagine Nation Express," "El Pinata de la Muerte," and the delightfully titled "Alright, I Admit It...It Was a Whore House." Both intense and complex, there's very little room for error on
Mongrel. ~ Greg Prato