Drew Beringer
03/10/09, 08:37 PM
The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Worse Than Alone
Release Date: March 10, 2009
Record Label: Eyeball
The title of The Number Twelve Looks Like You's fourth studio album, Worse Than Alone, got me thinking: what could possibly be worse than alone? An ECON 421 exam? Jimmy Fallon replacing Conan O’Brien? Metro Station? While I may never discover the answer, what I do know is that the tight musicianship and Jekyll and Hyde vocals delivered by The Number Twelve shine throughout Worse Than Alone.
There is always a debate about what genre The Number Twelve is. You can argue they are grindcore, or metalcore, or whatever –core you can think of. Truth of the matter is, Worse Than Alone is too ambitious to be classified as metalcore, and too unpredictable to be considered grind. What we get is dizzying guitar riffs, jazz-fusion, and various vocal deliveries. There is the howl and growl in opening track, “Glory Kingdom,” spoken word in “Given Life,” and actual melodic singing that pops up occasionally during the 46-minute album.
Worse Than Alone continues the experimental trend set on 2007’s Mongrel, as they amp it up just a bit. The drumming barrage on “Glory Kingdom” delivers an auditory beatdown. The aforementioned “Given Life” features a nice array of different vocal styles, which compliment the powerful track. “To Catch A Tiger” starts faintly but has a breakdown that hits like a powerbomb.
A nice jazz intro begins “Marvin’s Jungle,” which builds into frenzied chaos of shrieks courtesy of vocalists Jesse Korman and Justin Pedrick and riffs that change directions. The song ends with a straightforward riff and singing, an unusual occurrence with this band. “The Garden’s All Nighters” features a nice samba tempo change in the midst of the craziness. It takes you slightly by surprise, and it’s like a breath of fresh air before jumping back into the song.
“The League Of Endangered Oddities” is exactly that: odd. It may be the most straightforward forward song The Number Twelve has ever composed, as it slightly sticks out from the pack as the sore thumb, but the electronica-and-piano fusion of interlude “Serpentine” leads into the final track, the nine-minute “I’ll Make My Own Hours.” The chugga-chugga intro gets the track off to a rocky start but it transitions into a somber atmospheric jam. Of course, once you’ve become comfortable, The Number Twelve gives you a kick in the ass with their usual hijinks of pummeling chords and screaming.
It’s fairly obvious that The Number Twelve Looks Like You is an acquired taste. The vocals can be grating to first (and second) time listeners, as they are comparable to the vocal styling of Blood Brothers. But the variety of different vocal patterns will encompass the listener and overshadow their shortcomings in this area. Musically, The Number Twelve are masters of their crafts. The technicalities and cohesiveness of each instrument are the highlight of Worse Than Alone.
You absolutely cannot pigeonhole this band within a certain genre, as The Number Twelve constantly evolves and incorporates many different tempos, sounds, and arrangements, thus eliminating the repetitive nature that hinders music like this. Initial listens of Worse Than Alone may not win over many listeners, but the more time you spend with it, you’ll notice the intricacies and complexities of this fine album. And I think I’ve answered my question. The one thing that may be even worse than alone would be not giving this record a shot.
Track Listing:
1. Glory Kingdom
2. Given Life
3. To Catch A Tiger
4. Marvin’s Jungle
5. The Garden’s All Nighters
6. If They Holler, Don’t Let Go
7. Retort, Rebuild, Remind
8. The League of Endangered Oddities
9. Serpentine
10. I’ll Make My Own Hours
Produced by: The Number Twelve Looks Like You
The Number Twelve Looks Like You is:
Jesse Korman – vocals
Justin Pedrick – vocals
Alexis Pareja – guitar
Chris Russell – bass
Jon Karel – drums
Official Website (http://www.itsnumber12time.com/); Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/tntllu); Official AP.net Profile (http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?l=2545)
Release Date: March 10, 2009
Record Label: Eyeball
The title of The Number Twelve Looks Like You's fourth studio album, Worse Than Alone, got me thinking: what could possibly be worse than alone? An ECON 421 exam? Jimmy Fallon replacing Conan O’Brien? Metro Station? While I may never discover the answer, what I do know is that the tight musicianship and Jekyll and Hyde vocals delivered by The Number Twelve shine throughout Worse Than Alone.
There is always a debate about what genre The Number Twelve is. You can argue they are grindcore, or metalcore, or whatever –core you can think of. Truth of the matter is, Worse Than Alone is too ambitious to be classified as metalcore, and too unpredictable to be considered grind. What we get is dizzying guitar riffs, jazz-fusion, and various vocal deliveries. There is the howl and growl in opening track, “Glory Kingdom,” spoken word in “Given Life,” and actual melodic singing that pops up occasionally during the 46-minute album.
Worse Than Alone continues the experimental trend set on 2007’s Mongrel, as they amp it up just a bit. The drumming barrage on “Glory Kingdom” delivers an auditory beatdown. The aforementioned “Given Life” features a nice array of different vocal styles, which compliment the powerful track. “To Catch A Tiger” starts faintly but has a breakdown that hits like a powerbomb.
A nice jazz intro begins “Marvin’s Jungle,” which builds into frenzied chaos of shrieks courtesy of vocalists Jesse Korman and Justin Pedrick and riffs that change directions. The song ends with a straightforward riff and singing, an unusual occurrence with this band. “The Garden’s All Nighters” features a nice samba tempo change in the midst of the craziness. It takes you slightly by surprise, and it’s like a breath of fresh air before jumping back into the song.
“The League Of Endangered Oddities” is exactly that: odd. It may be the most straightforward forward song The Number Twelve has ever composed, as it slightly sticks out from the pack as the sore thumb, but the electronica-and-piano fusion of interlude “Serpentine” leads into the final track, the nine-minute “I’ll Make My Own Hours.” The chugga-chugga intro gets the track off to a rocky start but it transitions into a somber atmospheric jam. Of course, once you’ve become comfortable, The Number Twelve gives you a kick in the ass with their usual hijinks of pummeling chords and screaming.
It’s fairly obvious that The Number Twelve Looks Like You is an acquired taste. The vocals can be grating to first (and second) time listeners, as they are comparable to the vocal styling of Blood Brothers. But the variety of different vocal patterns will encompass the listener and overshadow their shortcomings in this area. Musically, The Number Twelve are masters of their crafts. The technicalities and cohesiveness of each instrument are the highlight of Worse Than Alone.
You absolutely cannot pigeonhole this band within a certain genre, as The Number Twelve constantly evolves and incorporates many different tempos, sounds, and arrangements, thus eliminating the repetitive nature that hinders music like this. Initial listens of Worse Than Alone may not win over many listeners, but the more time you spend with it, you’ll notice the intricacies and complexities of this fine album. And I think I’ve answered my question. The one thing that may be even worse than alone would be not giving this record a shot.
Track Listing:
1. Glory Kingdom
2. Given Life
3. To Catch A Tiger
4. Marvin’s Jungle
5. The Garden’s All Nighters
6. If They Holler, Don’t Let Go
7. Retort, Rebuild, Remind
8. The League of Endangered Oddities
9. Serpentine
10. I’ll Make My Own Hours
Produced by: The Number Twelve Looks Like You
The Number Twelve Looks Like You is:
Jesse Korman – vocals
Justin Pedrick – vocals
Alexis Pareja – guitar
Chris Russell – bass
Jon Karel – drums
Official Website (http://www.itsnumber12time.com/); Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/tntllu); Official AP.net Profile (http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?l=2545)