Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

Rating:

I don’t exactly keep my ear to the streets to see what’s poppin’ or whatever these days, nor have I ever been that diligent a music consumer. Music is something I’ve always been content and able to enjoy with little context or background knowledge, but I know what I like and I know why. Having said that I can confidently say that I like Ted Leo & the Pharmacists a whole lot.

Truth be told I caught on a little late in the game. I first heard “The Tyranny of Distance” when I was living in The Republic of Western Massachusetts in 2005. That album was in regular rotation for two solid years along with “Hearts of Oak” but my preference was and is the former. I’ve since seen them on some cable TV special (when I definitely should have been at work) and once live at the 930 Club. I dragged two of my non-fan friends with me. They left fans of band. I left with a cheesy grin and a sizable crush on Mr. Leo (If you read this, call me. Seriously.).

Untrue to character, I’ve been mulling over “The Brutalist Bricks” all weekend while being productive. I was given a sneak peak of the album and couldn’t resist the opportunity to formulate and share an opinion. At first I was unimpressed. Then I was bummed out. I felt like it was lacking in the vocal dynamism and the posi sound wasn’t really there. It sounded “heavier” to me in tone and the lyrics were too specific, so I felt like I wasn’t able to draw my own conclusions.

Then I realized I was being dumb. I have this thing, call it a handicap, where the first album I hear by an artist is almost always my favorite by that artist. So once I reconciled the fact that “The Brutalist Bricks” is not “The Tyranny of Distance” I enjoyed it much more.

I think the big difference is this latest album sounds a bit more 1970s, like they’ve been on a classic rock binge. In a good way. “Tuberculoids Arrive In Hop” sounds Led Zepplin-ish to me, and “Woke Up Near Chelsea” juxtaposed with the first chord in “One Polaroid A Day” stand out to me for that reason too. “One Polaroid A Day” also echoes my exact sentiments about camera-wielding assholes ruining moments by trying to capture them for one purpose or another, and it contains the album title phrase. (See, Ted? We’re compatible!) “Bottled In A Cork,” while enjoyable, confuses me. The beginning is completely divorced from the rest of the song. “Where Was My Brain?” is reminiscent of old D.C. hardcore which, being a native, I have a soft spot for. Not to mention I often ask myself that very question only to realize it was in my ass the whole time. Weird.

While I can cite all the above references this album is cohesively a Ted Leo & The Pharmacists endeavor. “Ativan Eyes”, “Even Heroes Have to Die”, “Bartolomeo And The Buzzing Of Bees”, and “Gimme The Wire” are quintessential TL/Rx. I think “Ativan Eyes” is my favorite song on the album because I find it the toe-tappingist. But that could change tomorrow. I’m plagued by favorites.

I think what I like most about Ted Leo & The Pharmacists is their dynamism, and that characteristic drives this album. No two songs sound alike except that they’re clearly a product of this band. The verbiage, storytelling, and overall structure of the album as well as the individual tracks is exactly what I’ve come to expect and appreciate most in them. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists have consistently delivered album after album of toe-tapping politically aware and intelligent rock and roll music. They put on a fantastic show; with only four of them on stage you simply don’t know where to look because they’re equally entertaining independently of their music. I mean, what’s not to like about all that?

- Murr

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks