Review Summary: New material from D.C. artist Ted Leo impresses and pleases through first two thirds, falls apart and drones on through final section.
Everything had been going fine for Ted Leo leading up to the release of
Living With the Living; in 2006 he had signed the group to Steve Albini's label Touch & Go which sounded like a match made in heaven, James Canty had been re added to the lineup as a second guitarist/keyboardist , and the lead single, "Sons of Cain", had been leaked at just the right time to satisfy the masses at the time. In addition to the personnel changes and additions, the anticipation to hear a new release had been at an all time high. It has been three long years since
Shake the Sheets came out and much is changed, so whats still standard? Well the lyrics still strike with politically flavored tips ("This is your mission/Pretend its television/Where the good guys always win") and the presence of pop is still active in the songwriting ("The first time I stood by the breaks of the cloud/I was so glad to have you standing back by my side") but the consistency is a bit off. Sure the first ten songs of this shows the good side of Leo, catchy songs that are smart and have high playback value but it just seems like the last third (or the last 6-7 songs) are songs that sound like they could have missed the cut, but were added on anyway.
It starts out in similar enough fashion with the pop anthem that hooks the listener in and is either the best or one of the best songs. "Sons of Cain" accomplishes that by speaking from the typical point of view from someone characterized as "one of us". Though written in a typical singer/songwriter mode (verse/chorus/extended bridge) but made to stand out with the signature catchy chorus ("So you go now and who's to blame?/Left down here among the sons of Cain") and out of place but delicious two second chorus ending piano playing. After the lead single comes a slew of consistently good upbeat tunes, but then something strange happens. The Touch & Go influences shows up in a big way, making the hardest and most unique sounding song not only on here but in Leo's entire discography. An anomaly, " Bomb.Repeat.Bomb." is as straightforward as the title makes it sound; the lyrics seem to flow freely and quickly while the guitar follows along but trails off during the slower spoken sections. Dexter Holland seems to be channeled into the chorus with a louder and angrier Leo who even busts out his shouting voice. "And when the crying starts, you won't have to see their bloodshot eyes turn red" goes the chorus, "And when the dying starts, you won't have to know a thing about who's dead". Though very different than the other numbers (or any of his other numbers) the song still rocks and very much out loud. Another
Living anomaly can be found on "The Unwanted Things" which captures reggae being added to the growing list of genres explored. Opposing " Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.", the song is more tame and moves slower but still is quality.
What really drags this release down is what follows the creative "Unwanted Things", starting with the 7 1/2 minute drone fest "the Lost Brigade" which starts innocent and rockingly enough with a cool small riff but at the end the riff is unrecognizable and unmemorable after the endless plays of the chorus and go-nowhere bridge that occupies a lot of the time. "The World Stops Turning" is a bit of a reprieve from the last song, going faster and being able to end the song in under 3 1/2 minutes while putting out a more memorable chorus. None of the short songs in the world could predict what would take place on "The Toro and the Toreador" which is the third weird song so far and recalls Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" in terms of musical spaciness for about half the track while the other part could have come from a defunct jam session. Finally the album ends on a good note, as " C.I.A." is enjoyable but sounds like its about to break into "Loyal to My Sorrowful Country" at any given moment (not that that would be a bad thing by any means).
It's different, its harder, and its honestly a bit of a disappointment, but
Living With the Living has finally taken the role as the new Ted Leo album. The highs heart here are the same standard as songs past, its just the lows are now very long and somewhat painful. Fortunately for the listener and performer, the highs outweigh the lows.
Recommended: Sons of Cain, A Bottle of Buckie, Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.
