With their Oct. 19 release, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists providea cure for indie rock fans that have been anxious for somethingdependable and loud.
"Shake the Sheets," the band's fifth album, is a perfectantidote for the recent deluge of lo-fi indie releases.
The CD's charm - its frenetic tempos, folk/punk combinations,and energetic, earnest vocals - are hardly new for the band. TedLeo et al. have made their mark (albeit a small one) by rocking outon tight, dynamic tracks since they began.
The only drawback to this is that the band doesn't tend to strayfrom this formula. Ever. Any of the eleven tracks of their mostrecent CD could slide inconspicuously into any of their previousreleases and no one would be the wiser.
While their tracks do vary slightly in quality, overall the bandseems once again to be unable (or unwilling) to explore new stylesor new tempos. Luckily, they have perfected what they do, and theband's stylistic stubbornness doesn't prevent them from makingsolid albums.
"Shake the Sheets" begins with the catchy "Me and Mia," provingimmediately that Ted Leo and the band are ready to pick up wherethey left off. The track is perfectly constructed with a livelybeat, refreshingly bright lyrics, and a beltable tune. The openingsong gets the listener in the mood for the band's patented tirelessstyle, but it also sets the bar a bit too high for the songs thatfollow.
All of the songs on "Shake the Sheets" are skillfully executedand musically sharp. Leo's adroit guitar playing, coupled with hisband's instrumental cohesion, makes for an impressive finalproduct.
Due to the musicians' aversion to variation, however, all of thesongs begin to blend together, and none are ever quite as strikingas the initial track.
The band combats this a bit on the fifth song of the album.Despite the songs' energy, listening to the CD has become a passiveactivity by this point. Ted Leo and his trusty Pharmacists
dispense their own form of Adderall in their ending of "LittleDawn." They repeat the line "It's alright" for two minutesstraight, for a total of 149 reassurances. While repetition seemscounterintuitive, it snaps its incredulous audience back frompassive listening and serves to restart the record.
After a little more of the same, the album ends on a good note,keeping the listener enthusiastic about what they've just heard.The final two tracks, "Bleeding Powers" and "Walking to Do"showcase Leo and the Pharmacists at their finest. The spiritedelectric guitar of the former leads to incurable toe tapping. Thetrack seems poised to burst out as a deliciously catchy pop song,but Leo's vocals serve as restraint.
The pent-up energy is released on the final track, which employs"Tubthumping"-esque group vocals in the upbeat chorus "There's awhole lotta walking to do." The song works flawlessly as theclosing credits to a lively record and leaves the listener withambitious energy.
Together the songs' quick tempos are repetitive, but thisuniformity doesn't stop the listener from admiring the band'senthusiasm, stylistic creativity, and instrumental skill. Each ofthe songs on "Shake the Sheets" would make a superb second track ona mix CD. When the first track arrives with energy, Ted Leo and thePharmacists can always be counted on to take it up a notch. "Shakethe Sheets" doesn't shake up the band's catalogue, but it doesshake up the music scene just a little.
