Saying that Chicago's
Ideamen really like the work of
Mike Patton -- a lot -- is a bit of an understatement. (One could throw
Serj Tankian into that mix as well without batting an eye.) As a result,
May You Live in Interesting Times feels less like a statement of purpose and more a sense of a band working through primary inspirations on the way to something further down the road. It's not without appeal -- when the band places more prominence on piano, as on songs like "Incident," as well as slowing down some of the otherwise nonstop hyperactivity otherwise on display, the variety allows for odder twists on the style to step forward. Otherwise, this is a classic case of a starting point that's too one-note for its creators to make a larger mark as yet. ~ Ned Raggett