Mongrel

The Number Twelve Looks Like You

My introduction to The Number Twelve Looks Like you is just another example of The Fall of Troy's influence. By 2007, more chaotic post-hardcore and metal - mathcore before I knew what mathcore was - was still very new to me, but I was very intrigued. Thank goodness for the Myspace platform where bands that you loved would put their tour mates or other bands they admired among their top friends. You could easily follow the rabbit hole and get turned on to everything that was happening in that scene. The Number Twelve Looks Like You were one such band I came across. They were a new challenge. Two harsh, screaming vocalists, non-traditional pop songwriting structures, far fewer sweet melodies, I had to acclimatize to the band's sound starting back from square one. Especially after I came across Mongrel in the record store and impulse purchased solely based on name recognition and perhaps the knowledge of two or three songs in their catalogue. Maybe that's not entirely accurate, it was fifteen years ago. All I remember is that I put the record on, Imagine Nation Express came on, and I immediately felt grossly under-prepared. After a brief glitchy guitar intro, we are thrusted into throat-shredding screams, imperceivable drum performances, and disjointed guitar phrases. It's just sound, but it really felt like an affront to all my senses. And rarely does it let up for the rest of the album's thirty-seven minute runtime. Any moment of relative quiet or harmony really only lowers you into a false sense of security.

There's a thread of abuse that runs through this record and it has more to do with just the music. Vocalists Jesse Korman and Justin Pedrick really excise some troubling thoughts and feelings. Imagine Nation Express kicks things off with imagery of being separated by two opposing trains, comparing the sight of the victim's remains to their woman suggestively spread out, and the song ends with a victorious jig along the tracks. Things don't get more tame on El Piñata de la Muerte, as the lyrics depict a torturous scene of stringing up a particular subject and beating them with their own limbs. It is some serious sick shit and I would exercise discretion should you decide to read up on them. Within the lines that walk us through the scene, we get lyrics that reveal a hint of a revenge plot. I remember one of the singers saying in an interview that this song in particular was written about an abusive stepfather. If that is the case, I certainly get the decision to depict the revenge with such graphic intensity. It's impossible not to wince when hearing it. In a much less graphic manner, Paper Weight Pigs touches on the abuses corporate mad men commit in the name of economic advancement and building reputation. References to 'locker room' culture, shady backroom dealings, environmental inaction, and the wealth gap all pop up on this surprisingly progressive cut.

This album is so intense on both music and lyrical fronts that by the time I get to the final track The Try (thank you), easily the most absurd, zany, and unpredictable track, I've just resigned myself to going along without putting up much resistance. Seriously, it's barely a song, just a series of chaotic clips that don't really meet tip to tail. It's like watching the most cursed vine clip compilation. Many would say it is totally un-listenable, and yet it is easily my favourite song on the record, especially with the unorthodox percussion and angular guitar melodies that close out this deranged odyssey. This track exhibits, to a very egregious level, #12's greatest strength; the ability to veer off in all sorts of jarring musical directions without skipping a beat. One moment, the band dances around a demented disco punk beat before seamlessly transitioning into a crushing breakdown with guttural growls on El Piñata de la Muerte.

Overall, there's two elements that make this record very distinct from other mathcore records; and they are the contributions from both Jon Karel on the drums and Alexis Pareja on guitar. I recently talked about Jon Karel when I talked about the new Sawtooth Grin record, but to reiterate, Jon Karel is a special breed. He has ultra jazzy chops but can also play with a tremendous amount of muscle. He plays some of the most intricate and mind bending patterns you will ever hear someone play on the drums, and you can tell he's just going through the motions. It just sounds so effortless. Pareja is also an insanely talented guitar player who can bust out a number of different skills, however, it's the Spanish flamenco influences that he incorporates into the band's work that really set them apart. Where else can you hear flamenco styled guitar breaks with two vocalists screaming their brains out on top? Just here.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, this record is a really big challenge. ADHD song structures and relentless screamed vocals will really test your resolve. Although, if you can zoom out a little bit, try to wrap your head around all the intricate performances, pay attention to how the band seamlessly can move from one passage to the next, I think you'll be able to see the magic of #12.