album of the week: 4.1

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists

The Brutalist Bricks

Matador (2010)

why you'll love it - back to form hi-quality rebellious indie music

why you'll hate it - Some songs don't immediately stick, lyrics are a bit clumsy

This weekend I'll be off to see Ted Leo And The Pharmacists in NYC, hoping to hear a lot from this new album. Usually, I'd just say this is another Ted Leo album and that would be enough, given his overall seal of quality. His 2007 album (Living With The Living) was a bit of a disappointment as a whole, and pretty much the closest thing to a red mark in his discography. So maybe I should throw in a few words of confidence...

The Brutalist Bricks focuses on a simpler sound. The best way to sum it up is a more accomplished version of Shake The Sheets (2005). I know Sheets is a TL/RX fan favorite, but I think that is because most fans discovered that album first. I don't think it holds a candle to the eclectic Hearts of Oak or epic Tyranny of Distance.

The songs are for the most part simple in structure. Some of it may go in one ear and out the other on the first listen, but I've found almost every track to be great after it has bounced off my brain a few times. The straightforward punk songs like "The Stick" and "Woke Up Near Chelsea" are some of my instant faves. Songs that I thought seemed clunky and unfocused at first, like "Bottled in Cork", I've since found to be quite innovative in structure.

It feels very selfish to be handed greatness and just expect more, but I have trouble figuring out if Ted Leo can't or just won't do another eye-opening album like his first two. Hearts of Oak was, for lack of better words, the first indie album that ever left a huge impression on me. It really changed my taste in music. Bricks rocks my face off, no arguing that - but I really wonder if this album is a reaction to the tepid Living With The Living and playing it safe by going back to basics. Maybe it is what he wanted to make all along, maybe not. All I know is that "Gimme The Wire" is one of he best songs I'll hear all year.