Album Review: The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Worse Than Alone

It’s been a while since New Jersey’s The Number Twelve Looks Likes You have appeared on the musical radar. With the international impact made by Sad Nuclear Sad, does Worse Than Alone live up to expectations? In a word – yes. This is mathematical hardcore or mathcore at its finest. It’s off kilter with time signature changes nodding towards fellow home state heroes The Dillinger Escape Plan, but The Number Twelve are not copycats by any means. This is easily shown with opening track ‘Glory Kingdom’ which blasts into an unholy cacophony of noise into the face of the unsuspecting.

One alter that these guys seem to worship at is of one Mike Patton. The Mr Bungle/Fantomas influences are apparent throughout this bizarre journey of an album. Jazz guitar licks and other brain boggling techniques are thrown into tracks like ‘Marvin’s Jungle’, a track about the effects of bullying, which baffles the listener further. This is forward thinking hardcore music that is angular, abstract and verging into prog-metal territories. Homage is paid to the band’s home state with ‘The Garden’s All Nighters’, a track that schizophrenically switches from the eerie to the extreme. The twin vocals of Justin Pedrick and Jesse Korman create a sense of constructed chaos throughout the album.

Amongst the chaos is instrumental track ‘Serpentine’ which almost veers into the territory of electronic ambience of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. This is a jarring interlude before launching into the near-sludgy dirge of closer ‘I’ll Make My Own Hours.’

Yes, mathcore is certainly an area which is significantly dominated but Worse Than Alone is a competent album that continues to push musical boundaries. Devastating, state-of-the-art noise which can easily level cities.

4/5

Matt Rich