review: Look Mexico - To Bed To Battle

Look Mexico
To Bed To Battle
Suburban Home, 2010

Not bigger, not badder, but Tallahassee's Look Mexico is different. Gone are most of the pretenses of light math-rock and obvious instrumental dueling; in are clever modern rock ballads with even a few alt-country hints. What stays are the funny song names, like "They Offered Me A Deal (I Said No, Naturally) and "Take It Upstairs, Einstein."

Look Mexico "You Stay. I Go. No Following." from Look Mexico HD on Vimeo.

All of this made me think of the lighter aspects of an emo band like Braid or the near dead-on mainstream interpretation of This Town Needs Guns or perhaps the dirtier version of White Rabbits and Tapes and Tapes. Or maybe I just described The Weakerthans. I think I did.

After the Gasp Asp EP, I expected more straight-ahead pop-punk-rock, but Look Mexico doesn't deliver that, instead choosing thoughtfulness more than any classifiable genre.

Take that Einstein song. "Am I the witty update on your screen?" is a nice line poked into a ballad with a recognizable, repeatable melody that kowtows more to...what? It's a good and powerful song, it's not a Look Mexico song, more apt for a side project.

This is an unusual play for more fans, obviously their ambitions go more than any light punk ghetto-ization would allow. Problem is I like this album and I like Look Mexico. "I Live My Life a Quarter Mile At A Time" reels in moody modern rock with a punch to the familiar, "Until The Lights Burn Out?" has this space freak out moment, and "They Offered Me A Deal..." may be the best pop-rock song ever written. The opener, "You Stay. I Go. No Following." is a perfectly played song, it arches and glides and peaks and I even want to sing along on the chorus. The requisite components for SUCCESS are there.

So I accept these rock songs for all their foibles, most of them stand better as single listening experiences than they do as a whole. Guess that doesn't matter, our existence is fragmented anyway, right?

Though with this record, I can't help but think of Look Mexico as appealing chameleons--and I'm sure their move to Austin, TX will not sort things out, but only add more to the mix.

This is a stab by Look Mexico at something somewhere, I'm just not sure the target has been set, the parameters established. Anything and everything is game, which may mean nothing will work. Or that anything has to work.



More after the jump...

Friday Five: 5 Favorite Florida Bands

Did this once before with North Carolina bands, but Florida is deep and wide. So all of the bands have the qualifier of "right now." There is no blood from surfers, no people that I'm against! and all of this is subject to change if Further Seems Forever gets back together in the next 24 hours...

5) Have Gun Will Travel





Part St. Pete bar band, part Americana innovators, Have Gun Will Travel's Postcards From A Friendly City was recently adopted by Suburban Home Records. No excuse not to find these guys.

4) Only Thieves





Greetings From Levy Park, the Only Thieves rocking debut is so good, but I originally thought they were from Jersey. Guess it was the album title. Have no fear, they rock it right in Tallahassee, snap!

3) Mouse Fire



Mouse Fire: "This Is How I throw My Slider"

I got Wooden Teeth when someone accidentally gave it to me. I soon realized how much Lujo Records and I see eye to eye. Word is, new album from Lakeland's Mouse Fire in May.

2) Look Mexico




Look Mexico: "You're Not Afraid of The Dark Are You?"

This kind of messes up my list, because according to this article most of the band is moving to Texas next week. Surprisingly, their old stuff is lighter and more mature than their new stuff, which is more straight ahead punkish-rock. Soon, indie rock kids at Florida State will say..."Look Mexico was so chill. We used to hang out with them all the time before they were on the radio..." Their new album comes out in March. See their tour dates here.

1) John Ralston



John Ralston: "Fragile"

I just discovered John Ralston in the last few months, but I knew John Ralston. A Legends of Rodeo song popped up on iTunes and I was like, "dang they are so legendary...what happened to them? To where have they RECESSed?"

Soon, I found the John Ralston MySpace page and hooked myself up with the album Sorry Vampire. It came out a few years ago, and he's had an EP since then...but expect more becaue my THEORY is that he's heating up again.

Honorable Mention: Holiday Shores, Greenland is Melting
More after the jump...

Swing South: Look Mexico

Look Mexico "You Stay. I Go. No Following." from Look Mexico HD on Vimeo.

Almost forgot. Look Mexico is going on a blast of a tour for their new album, To Bed To Battle in March from Suburban Home. Couple of shows in the FL will be album release parties before embarking on a longer tour. A few of those shows is with Tallahassee's Only Thieves, which I love as well. All signs point to this album as Look Mexico's "breakout" and "crossover." Rawk. Southern dates after the jump...


Feb 25 2010
8:00P
1982 (To Bed To Battle-CD Release Show) w/Only Thieves & Greenland Is Melting Gainesville,

Feb 26 2010
8:00P
Backbooth (To Bed To Battle-CD Release Show) w/Only Thieves Orlando, Florida

Feb 27 2010
6:00P
EARLY - The Porch (To Bed To Battle-CD Release Show) w/Only Thieves Brandon, Florida
Feb 27 2010
10:00P
LATE - New World Brewery (To Bed To Battle-CD Release Show) w/Only Thieves Tampa,

Feb 28 2010
8:00P
Doozer’s w/Only Thieves (ALL AGES) Jacksonville, Florida

Mar 2 2010
8:00P
Caledonia Lounge Athens, Georgia

Mar 3 2010
8:00P
New Brookland Tavern West Columbia, South Carolina

Mar 4 2010
8:00P
The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, North Carolina

Mar 5 2010
8:00P
Tir Na Nog Raleigh, North Carolina

Mar 6 2010
8:00P
Canal Club Richmond, Virginia

Mar 12 2010
8:00P
The Soapbox Wilmington, North Carolina

Mar 13 2010
8:00P
Harvest of Hope St. Augustine, Florida

Mar 14 2010
8:00P
Harvest of Hope St. Augustine, Florida

Mar 16 2010
8:00P
Vino’s Little Rock, Arkansas


More after the jump...