Living With The Living

Touch & Go (2007)

By Charles R. Greaves

 

Ok, first I have to confess, I love rock and roll trios. They cut down on all the superfluous noise and the pretty trimmings. Rudimentary Rock, it’s just a lot of fun.

 

The Pharmacists have it going on. Ted Leo is a tight songwriter with something to say. Living with the Living is the sixth recording and the first with Touch and Go Records. After an artsy opening thing called "Fourth World War", Living kicks in with "The Sons of Cain" and a great drum beat leading the way. Every band wants its drum sounds recorded well, this is well recorded indeed, think Charlie Watts on Exile. drummer Chris Wilson drives the bus hard all through this disc. Ted’s guitar sounds appropriately jangly, like the amp is way too loud (how could it ever be too loud).

 

Followed up by the Kinks like "Army Bound", the songs are all surprisingly smooth until "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb" smacks you between the eyes with serious punk credentials. There is enough variety in style and songwriting to make you forget this is a sweaty little trio. Each listen finds new little subtleties. Songs that I first thought were less strong began to grow on me, and the ones I liked, I didn’t like any less.

 

Ted is no one trick pony, and Living with the Living is a very cool ride. It hints at a lot of different genres and resists all the obvious labels. If you’re not driving a little faster and drumming the rim of your steering wheel on the way home, check your pulse, it’s not the Pharmacists’ fault.

 

By the time the last track "C.I.A." comes around, you should be craving an ice cold long neck in a dark bar with real musicians playing real rock. Ted is real rock.