Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living With the Living
Produced by Brendan Canty of Fugazi fame, Living with the Living is unified and solid
Jersey-bred punk veteran Ted Leo’s music embodies everything punk rock stands for and his new album, Living with the Living, is proof that after years of creating music for the denim-clad working class Joe, (of which he is one) Leo, now in his mid-30s, is still one of the best songwriters & music makers in the game.
Produced by Brendan Canty of Fugazi fame, Living with the Living is unified and solid, with the current Pharmacists line-up (Chris Wilson on drums, Dave Lerner on bass) sounding better than ever. The three have released a handful of albums and EPs together, with different line-ups, and continue their tradition of being thinking people’s punk. Leo has been involved in numerous projects previously, namely mod/punk outfit Chisel, (check them out if you haven’t!) who disbanded in 1997 after putting out their sophomore release Set You Free.
The fierce threesome kicks the album off with “Sons of Cain,” a true fist-pumping rock anthem that has Leo laying waste to his vocal chords. “Bottle of Bucky” is a proverbial raise of the glass to Leo’s Irish heritage and comes complete with tin whistle solo. “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.” is the best song on this album, if you can call it a song; it’s more of a screaming, frustrated rant at the current political state of affairs.
The driving guitar and rest-and-relaxation lyrics of “La Cost Brava” are a cure for the workweek blues, and “Annunciation Day/Born on Christmas Day” has an old school, Clash-like feel. “The Toro and The Toreador” starts off quiet but doesn’t stay that way.
There really isn’t any negative with this album, as Leo has released a record that lives up to his reputation of making solid songs that, in a nutshell, simply kick ass.
(Touch & Go Records)