It just makes me laugh. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m referring to the opening line from \u201cAtivan Eyes,\u201d the second track on The Brutalist Bricks<\/i>: \u201cThe industry is out of touch \/ The means of production are now in the hands of the workers.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pitchfork writer Paul Thompson said the line doesn\u2019t belong \u201cin a pop tune\u201d and that it feels \u201ca little too forceful no matter how many times you run into [it].\u201d And I say very good. I\u2019m entertained by the audacity of Leo\u2019s writing and delivery. <\/p>\n
And isn\u2019t that a lesson Elvis Costello taught us a long time ago? That pop lyrics can be forceful? Of course, many artists before Costello demonstrated the same idea, but I bring him up because Ted Leo And The Pharmacists are quite similar to Elvis Costello And The Attractions. The main difference between the two is that the former doesn\u2019t explore as many genres. <\/p>\n
Then again, I\u2019m not as familiar with all of Leo\u2019s albums. The Brutalist Bricks <\/i>is the first one I\u2019ve listened to all the way through, but I know enough of the band\u2019s songs to know they are punk to a great extent.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot to like about this group. Bassist Marty Key and drummer Chris Wilson make up the dependable rhythm section, energetic but not overwhelming. Leo and James Canty are great rhythm guitarists and don\u2019t envision solos as a way to show off. Finally, Leo is a cool frontman who would rather mock and attack than whine and dream. <\/p>\n
The Brutalist Bricks <\/i>is a listenable album for the most part, with its five middle tracks being the most impressive stretch. Three of these songs \u2013 \u201cThe Stick,\u201d \u201cWoke Up Near Chelsea,\u201d and \u201cWhere Was My Brain?\u201d \u2013 are aggressive punk exercises. I especially like the bleak ending to \u201cThe Stick:\u201d \u201cYou think the government, it wants you on your knees \/ But I\u2019ll tell you something, and here it is \/ They want you driving to the supermarket, buying milk and cheese \/ And generating taxes to fuel their corn subsidies \/ You\u2019re either nibbling at the carrot, or you get beat with the fasces.\u201d <\/p>\n
The two other tracks that make up the album\u2019s midsection are different, though. They are more or less wry pop songs. \u201cBottled In Cork\u201d misdirects you with a 20-second punk opening before the acoustic guitars are broken out for an odd sing-a-long that concludes with the fun repetition of \u201cTell the bartender, I think I\u2019m falling in love.\u201d But \u201cOne Polaroid A Day\u201d is a bigger surprise in a way. Leo alters his vocals quite a bit for the track \u2013 much deeper and smokier \u2013 and the funkiness of the cut goes beyond what I expected from this band, particularly the guitar playing. <\/p>\n
All this talk about the middle of the album might raise the question: Does The Brutalist Bricks <\/i>have a weak beginning and\/or ending? Not really. In fact, the first (\u201cThe Mighty Sparrow\u201d) and last (\u201cLast Days\u201d) tracks make a nice frame. That said, two songs toward the end, \u201cBartolomeo And The Buzzing Of Bees\u201d and \u201cTuberculoids Arrive In Hop,\u201d just don\u2019t have the bite of the rest of the disc because they take no risks. <\/p>\n
\u00a0Thankfully, Ted Leo And The Pharmacists usually don\u2019t hold back, for better or worse. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":30373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[8598],"rating":[5613],"class_list":["post-42033","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-ted-leo-and-the-pharmacists","rating-rating-a-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42033"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}