What I hate about rock is the cycle: album/review/interview if you’re lucky/live show/review and inbetween nothing very much.
Not a blog.
We will use any excuse to write about are faves and Titus Andronicus, fresh off the album of the year, the ambitious and brainy and beautiful The Monitor, are a rock nyc fave and then some.
So here’s my excuse.
I am going to the Frazey For concert (review to follow soon) and I am wearing my green Titus Andronicus Forever tee and I get complimented twice. One by an older woman who discussed the play with me for ten minutes -luckily I know it because I sure didn’t feel like explaining Patrick to her. The other a tenage boy on Bleeker who accosted me with a high five and a “Yeah, man, Titus Andronicus. Cool. They rock.
As good an excuse as any to shuffle em up and review whatever I hear.
1. …And Ever – It;’s the sound of classic rock and roll with a Jerry Lee soundalike on piano and a wailing sax. It couldn’t be better if it tried.
2. Albert Camus – If you wanna be positive but you want to be an existentialist you go to Camus. This comes across as a shoegaze wall of sound for people who like to jump and down at first and then blasts off into never never land. I saw god.
3. The Battle Of Hampton Roads – Patrick has gone on record as stating the leaving of Boston on The Monitor was the leaving with a girl and not a career but I still hope he is only half right. Whatever it is, months after hearing this song for the first I have no doubt the world will spin off its axis before I hear a better song this year. Along with the movement, the build, the time travel between the civil war and five years ago, and the build of sound, the roar of rock, the New Jersey takeover of emotion, and the cry of emotional vulnerability that closes it. Beyond all that. It works as a series of aphorism which, taken out of context, can last you a lifetime. I can bearly express my admiration for this song loudly or more often. It puts everything else in the world to shame. “When I scream, I will scream till I’m gasping for breath…” You can’t tell me a fucking thing about music in 2010 if you haven’t heard it.
4. Upon Viewing Brughel’s “Landscape with the Fall Of Icarus” – Off the essential Feats Of Strength, I sent the Weezer cover to Helen and she was aghast at the quality. Me? I like my music scruffy.
5. Four Score And Seven – You keep on doubting thm thru the first half until they reach the half way mark, then you just give in and buckle up and wait for the singalong end.
6. Say It Ain’t So – This is the one Helen hated. Me? I loooooooooove it though Stickles does seem to be having his problems with the melody.
7. Waking Up Drunk – From the daytrotter session and one of the greatest drinking songs ever written.
8.Richard II – Love the Billy Bragg references.
9. Titus Andronicus – Written to teach you how to react to your mortality.
10. No Future – Acoustic version off Feats. Ridiculously lovely.