Minute Man for the Moment

Album Review

There was a time in rock music when if you were a band that specialized in complex, technically demanding music, you were easily classified as prog rock. But come the early 21st century, bands with hardcore and metal roots began adding tricky bits into their sound, which mutated into a whole new style. A perfect example of this crop of bands would include Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah, while a second (or third?) wave of such acts eventually followed, such as Look What I Did. Produced by Jane's Addiction/Deftones veteran Brian Virtue, 2005's Minuteman for the Moment is chock-full of unpredictable song structures and impressive playing. A few things that Look What I Did have in common with the multitude of other similarly styled bands is that their vocals (supplied by a chap named Barry Donegan) alternate between melodic singing and hardcore screaming, and their lyrics and song titles are quite "stream of consciousness" ("The Fox Eats TV Ishmael," "Chest Is a Ribcage," etc.). Fans of modern-day math rock should find quite a bit to cherish on Minuteman for the Moment, especially such standouts as the pummeling, album-opening title track and the melodic noise of "Appomattox Whorehouse."