Review Summary: Punk-rock is reborn.
In a field somewhere in the vast expanse of album reviews, there is a carcass of a majestic black mare. That horse has long since drawn its last breath at the hands of countless enthusiastic fans and critics alike. Its body a black and blue pulp. I approach it, swing my billy club, and say to you, “Punk-rock is reborn.”
The rebirth of punk rock is reborn from mothers and fathers like Bruce Springsteen and the Replacements and comes from a band who released of one of the best albums of the last decade. Unfortunately, it is easily Titus’s worst album, as the lyrics for Local Business pack much less of a punch than either of their previous albums. This however goes hand in hand with the idea of punk-rock rebirth, and is a reason why Local Business is a fantastic album.
Local Business is probably the most blatantly nihilistic album they have put out to date. The first song, Ecce Homo, begins with Patrick Stickles belting out “Okay by now I think we’ve established that everything is inherently worthless and there’s nothing in the universe with any kind of objective purpose.” Overall though, this album is fun because it doesn’t take itself seriously. Food Fight! is a minute long song with a guitar solo whose only lyrics are, you guessed it “Food fight!” The song following Food Fight! is an amazing juxtaposition with some of the best lyrics on the album. “It would be so easy to say it was my parents that destroyed my brain/It was their drugs that drove me insane--I wouldn't be alone with all the blame/No, I never felt so free from sin as when I was screaming out ‘I can't win!’/If it's not too late to start again, open up that womb and I'll crawl right in” The song following titled, Titus Andronicus Vs. The Absurd Universe (3rd Round KO), is another one line wonder whose the entire lyrics to is “I’m going insane!” The second to last song (I Am the) Electric Man is song that Patrick Stickles wrote wrote on the way to the emergency room after being electrocuted mid performance. In The Monitor, Stickles sang “I’m destroying everything that wouldn’t make me more like Bruce Springsteen.” Local Business comes off as very Springsteen-esque because of it’s incredible use of piano.
Local Business is a spectacular album, that makes listeners feel like they’re all in it together. It balances thought witty truths, incredible musicianship, and an overall fun and energetic vibes. It may not be Titus Andronicus’s best album, but If it isn't great, well then I beat a dead horse for nothing, now didn't I?
