Posted on: August 4, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The guitar-heavy opening to “He Bit Me” opens up into a fuller instrumental track which is comparable to the post-Fugazi pre-emo acts, bands like The Appleseed Cast and Desert City Soundtrack. The track is only ninety seconds long but the arrangements are complicated and fulfilling; individuals would be fools to not be fans of Look Mexico after this first track. This same type of rich instrumentation continues with “I Can’t Today, I’m On Duty”, even as Look Mexico shift their influences slightly to reflect a current sound. The vocals kick in during this track, and allow the band to expand their sound.

Sure, the instrumentation is much of the same, but the vocals are confident while still being a little shy. While “He Bit Me” was an amazing track in its own right, the harmonizing of the vocals on “I Can’t Today” places Look Mexico in another realm of greatness. “Call Off Your Lap Dog” is the hump track, and even if it is slower than the rest of the tracks previously heard, Look Mexico are still completely compelling. The blend of vocals and instruments is particularly of note, as instead of trying to struggle for dominance, it seems as if they both trade off to make for a less-dissonant sound. Look Mexico have created a very specific sound for themselves on “The Crucial” EP, and songs like “Come On, We Are Talking About You Here” just give the band more cohesion, as the song plays on prior approaches and styles used earlier on the disc.

There is little that Look Mexico would have to change from this EP to a full length. The only thing that I would be concerned about is their ability to make enough changes to their general sound to keep individuals interested over the course of forty minutes, but I see that to be a minor issue for Look Mexico. The sped-up guitar line that finishes off the disc is evidence that the band can add new things without completely changing their sound. While the disc is only fifteen minutes long, the high amount of replay possible and the skill of the band ensure that this EP should be enough fodder until the band is able to come up with the full length CD, which should be sooner rather than later. Find this disc at your local record store and make a purchase as soon as possible.

Top Track: Come On We Are Talking About You Here

Rating: 7.1/10

Look Mexico – The Crucial EP / 2005 Atlas / 5 Tracks / http://www.lookmexico.net / http://www.atlasdistro.com / Reviewed 12 March 2007

[JMcQ]

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