Titus Andronicus is a band from New Jersey that I've been hearing whispers (or screams) about for several months now and their record is finally being re-released on XL here in the states. They have a sloppy, fun, and drunken sound but their songs are easily memorable in a sing-songy kinda way. Unfortunately, they don't even come close to living up to the hype. Imagine if a big label had gotten ahold of the Black Lips and put some Polo's on them and told them to sound edge-y, but not too offensive. That's Titus Andronicus.
The record starts out with a lo-fi, tin can-ny into and after a resounding "Fuck you!" launches into a lyrical opening track Fear and Loathing in Mawah, NJ which reminds me more of Flogging Molly with its bouncy rhythm aggressive jigginess. While the songs are decent, I don't believe they can truly be beyond good as they do nothing special. It feels more like another rich-kid band trying to relate their experience in yet another uncommunicative way. Sonically, they sound no different than a cleaned up garage sound with a B.A. The vocals feel affected in the same way Conor Oberst's sounds when he attempts to yell.
The decent songs on the record appear toward the end: Titus Andronicus (oh, how I love when a band has the same name as one of their songs) and No Future. I have to briefly mention the last song on the record, Albert Camus. Seriously, be more creative guys. This is so amateur that it makes me nauseated.
When people start saying they like a band because they named themselves from a seldom-mentioned Shakespeare work (which made a better movie, anyway) and because their is a quirky reference to a beloved TV show (that EVERYONE watched anyway) them I'm hesitant to attribute any kind of high-brow vision on their work. Titus Andronicus do their part in not even living up to half of their billing. I'm going to listen to Bishop Allen now so I can gain some brain cells back and feel a little more intelligent.
Grade: 3.1
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