"I have a fever and the only cure . . . is more cowbell" - Released in early spring of 2007, Living with the Living is the 5th (maybe 4th) album from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, a rock/punk band from the Northwest. No, its not electronic music, I've had my share of it this past week, nor hard core rock. After listening to the album today on the bus ride home from work, I felt refreshed. Refreshed -- not the typical use of the word in defining music, but once the last track played, I sat on the bus, surprisingly awake, relaxed, and with a slight smile on my face. Never have I felt this good on the bus back to Evanston. Never. I usually fall asleep with my mouth wide open and then wake up intermittently and either subconsciously kick my legs forward or spout out some inaudible babble. Weird habits. Today was different. I nearly skipped out the bus door and down the street.
Its difficult to describe music albums with original words/phrases. Most good albums can be characterized by some version of the following: eclectic instrumentation, beautiful combination of music and lyrics, great lyrics, solid melodies, solid harmonies, etc, etc. The idea is there, even though I haven't been providing my amazing opinion on music until recently. So now, instead of overusing these hackneyed phrases in description of albums, I will provide, as part of the review, how I felt during/after and maybe even before, for comparison, I listened to the album.
So here it goes: Living with the Living is a refreshing album. It has a perfect energy to it, neither exhausting nor boring.
The band will be in Chicago this Saturday, April 28 at the Metro with guest Love of Diagrams. Tickets are listed as sold out on their website, but go down the venue and see if you can get in anyway. Catch them before they cross the Atlantic or wait a little longer and see them at Lollapalooza.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Some Beginner's Mind
Its difficult to describe music albums with original words/phrases. Most good albums can be characterized by some version of the following: eclectic instrumentation, beautiful combination of music and lyrics, great lyrics, solid melodies, solid harmonies, etc, etc. The idea is there, even though I haven't been providing my amazing opinion on music until recently. So now, instead of overusing these hackneyed phrases in description of albums, I will provide, as part of the review, how I felt during/after and maybe even before, for comparison, I listened to the album.
So here it goes: Living with the Living is a refreshing album. It has a perfect energy to it, neither exhausting nor boring.
The band will be in Chicago this Saturday, April 28 at the Metro with guest Love of Diagrams. Tickets are listed as sold out on their website, but go down the venue and see if you can get in anyway. Catch them before they cross the Atlantic or wait a little longer and see them at Lollapalooza.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Some Beginner's Mind
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