REVIEW: Titus Andronicus – “Local Business”


[October 22nd 2012 – XL Recordings // Find it at: iTunes | Insound]

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Where The Airing Of Grievances and The Monitor were unapologetic stomps, Local Business is a subscription to acknowledging imperfections and beating them over the head with a shovel until some sort of freedom escapes. A direct hit of the its title, Titus Andronicus’ third collection focuses on the common life-wanderer and force-feeds accounts of an authentic self being aborted, doing twenty-six to life in society and what it feels like to admit your flaws and immaturity. It’s no textbook on how to dress to impress strangers because at the helm, frontman Patrick Stickles is looking in the rear-view mirror at a past full of blowjobs, blackouts and lousy tendencies over a backdrop of gutted indie rock. His voice sparks up Local Business like a bar fly’s eyes but Titus Andronicus nonchalantly skin alternative with New Jersey rock that can arm itself with sheer punk brass (“Titus Andronicus v.s. The Absurd Universe”) and pop out in the most sensitive way (“In A Small Body”). Just don’t call it hipster material; flanked by violins, harmonica and shaded traces of Americana jam sessions, the five-piece are making modern rock fun again.

Download: “In A Small Body”, “(I Am) The Electric Man”, “In A Big City”

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