timorous me

I've talked some smack on Ted Leo in the past, actions I sheepishly rescind right now, after a week of listening to nothing but. 'Hearts of Oak' is the current Ted Leo & the Pharmacists album I'm playing and replaying and puzzling out lyrics, just a big bombastic piece of heart and soul, stripped-down rock music laid bare to the essentials.

I just picked up his previous album yesterday, The Tyranny of Distance, and while it hasn't latched onto me immediately, I must remind myself I had Hearts of Oak on my ipod for at least the last 6 months and never bothered to get anywhere other than the occasional random track that shuffle sorted out for me.

This song, though, seems to perfectly represent Ted Leo/Pharmacists and what rock music, to a large part, lacks most of the time. The ultimate moment comes when the guitar rings, the handclaps enter alongside Leo's voice verging on collapse and those hollowed, harsh drums kick in, one measured beat at a time, everything falling perfectly into place. Nothing better than withholding on your audience so you can turn around and show them exactly what they didn't know they were missing.

Posted by xtop at August 7, 2003 02:27 PM | TrackBack