the brutalist bricks (ted leo)
I loved this guy when I was younger; a very exciting performer to see live. The records he's released in recent years haven't totally captured my imagination. This record doesn't leave me with a strong impression, it mostly feels like filler, it just kinda sounds like him. A few tracks I love- "Gimme The Wire," wonderful energy on this one, a real zip of a number; "Bartolomeo and the Buzzing of Bees" is a romantic number, there's something seductive in that low, slow, driven rhythm, the lyrics that hint at new promises offered to an old flame. Something about it evokes a balcony scene. And "Bottled In Cork" is the star track, I really love it- it starts with a classic Ted Leo zip, and suddenly stops at the cliff's edge and shifts splendidly into a melodic, sing-song number with a vintage feel, a total beauty. Something about it evokes "Queen Bitch," that melodic acoustic call and response rhythm; it certainly sounds like a track that would exist on a Wes Andersen soundtrack. I remember hearing this song in a bar and loving it, and when my pal Russ identified it, I remember knowing then and there that Russ was a guy who knows his music.
It's possible I haven't given the rest of the tracks enough time to sink in and become their own; maybe I'll return some other time, but for now I'm content with what I've mined from this record. If anything I need to get his older albums into my collection.
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