Titus Andronicus
(XL)
On their debut, 2008's The Airing of Grievances, this Jersey band showed off the best of high-brow and low-brow culture, combining the sweaty drunken-rock of the Replacements and Pogues with brainy lyrics that sounded like Craig Finn (from The Hold Steady, who guest here) with a few extra post-grad degrees. On this ambitious follow-up, built on a civil war theme, they loose some of their energy and power - the closest they come to an anthem this time is a song where they keep chanting "the enemy is everywhere!" Then again, that's preceded by line about flag-waving so that could just be a canny take on patriotism, stuck alongside their humorous pokes at their home-state ("Baby, we were born to die"). Plus, few bands take down-and-out as a badge of pride like these guys, turning "you will always be a loser" into a triumphant refrain about themselves (or at least their protagonists).
Standout Tracks: "Titus Andronicus Forever," "Theme From ‘Cheers'" JASON GROSS
