LOOK WHAT I DID – Minuteman For The Minute

Ferocious is the first word that comes to mind when you spin Look What I Did’s latest release, Minuteman for the Moment. Their MySpace page has the perfect description of what this band is all about… “confusing the shit out of Hardcore kids since 2003.” Hardcore, Grindcore, Thrash, Punk … there is no pigeon-holing this band. They play a diverse experimental form of hard-edged music set at a blistering pace. Combining screeching Death Metal style vocals with sometimes Melodic Pop-infused singing will keep even the most varied listener guessing.

“Minuteman for the Moment” is the title track that opens the disc, and it begins with a Primus-sounding bass and drum line that is complimented by some serious screeching from vocalist Barry Donegan. The verse is almost spoken, or screamed, but delivered in a Punk style like Black Flag or the Dead Kennedys; then the chorus is actually sung clearly with a catchy melody.

The second song, “Ultimate Complete Home Fitness Machine,” continues with the humorous spoken Punk delivery as well as some singing, obvious from the title the song, it is of a lighter nature and will have you laughing once you start deciphering the lyrics. “The Soiree” is a bit more straight-ahead than some of the other tracks on the disc. That isn’t to say this is your standard all out rocker, but this one sticks to more of a straight-ahead song structure. Other ventures include the likes of “The Fox Eats TV Ishmeal,” which is a Jazzy-Thrashy-Pop piece with no boundaries whatsoever.

There is a lot of humor in this band from the aforementioned “Ultimate Complete Home Fitness Machine” to other titles such as “Appomattox Whorehouse” and “Benevolasaurous Rex,” but there is a lot of thoughtfulness to the lyrics. “Lightning Bugs” is an intriguing tale of love and control. Like their music, LWID, are not an “at one glance band.” Even if the music is a little too eclectic, they are a talented bunch of musicians who stray away from the standard four/four time signature as much as they stray from any particular musical style. Colby Shea and Skeet Childres don’t sound like they are out to win any best guitarist polls, but they offer a thick layer of sound with crunching chords and a varying display of experimental sounds. Chris Bradley is a bassist who can lock on to the root note or slap out Claypool-like tub-thumpers. Last, but certainly not least, Miles McPherson is a blistering paced drummer who demonstrates some amazing footwork, while Thrashing all out double bass or swinging like a Jazz pro.

In a love/hate society, you probably won’t be on the fence about how you feel about LWID. They are not an easy pill to swallow. They are all over the board musically and lyrically. This is music of choice for those who deviate from the norm. It would probably fall into more of a Punk label than say Metalcore for the most part, so you may want to give it a listen or two before you rush out and buy a copy. But, Minuteman for the Moment certainly isn’t boring.