Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are beginning to garner public acclaim to follow their critical praise. It's about time.
The band - consisting of Leo on guitar and vocals, Chris Wilson on drums and Marty "Violence" Key on bass (replacing recently departed bassist Dave Lerner) - is touring in support of Living with the Living, another bombastic blast of intelligent, tuneful punk/indie rock.
Recorded last fall at Longview Farms in North Brookfield, Mass., and the Blind Spot in Washington, D.C., by Brendan Canty, Living With The Living is Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' first album for the Chicago-based Touch & Go Records.
The 15 tracks demonstrate the band's hard-hitting yet melodic punk rock style while mixing in Leo's socially conscious, civic-minded lyrics, especially on "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb."
Born in Indiana, raised in New Jersey and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (with an English degree), Leo's invigorating music first surfaced in the late '80s East Coast, hard-core scene with bands such as Citizen's Arrest and Animal Crackers. But it was with the band Chisel - formed on the Notre Dame campus in 1990 - that Leo spread his musical wings. The band started off playing punk and post-punk covers before moving into original territory with Leo writing the songs moving beyond simple punk to include mod. Following Leo's graduation, the band moved to Washington, D.C., and released three albums before breaking up in 1997.
What followed were a handful of quick releases by Leo, including the merging of rock with reggae on his solo debut tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists, the first true Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' release with the Treble with Trouble EP (marking Wilson's debut as drummer) and 2001's rocking The Tyranny of Distance, on the Berkley, Calif., independent label, Lookout! Records.
2003's Hearts of Oak included the single "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" and brought Ted Leo and the Pharmacists critical applause, both for the band's combustible, manic sound and Leo's clever, passionately delivered lyrics about the world around himself and the U.S.
The EP Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead was released in 2003 before Leo retreated in early 2004 to the basement of his childhood home in New Jersey where he wrote the Shake the Sheets album, a 11-song blast of rock, punk and indie, and lyrics focusing on personal and political ills, including the excellent and fierce "Me and Mia."
Living with the Living continues Ted Leo and the Pharmacists believe in fighting for something beautiful, with a sonic, melodious fury and smart lyrics.