Speaking of the Posies (who have a new full-length, their first since the first attempted "breakup" in '98, in the can and due out on Rykodisc in 2005; I'm so hyped...the Posies are the fake-retirement Jay-Z of power pop), compare the first few seconds of their "Apology" off of 1990's Dear 23 to the first few seconds of "The One Who Got Us Out" off of the new Ted Leo album, Shake the Sheets. Not identical, but kind of an uncanny similarity.

BTW, I'm really not trying to hear this shrugging reaction to Shake the Sheets. I've only had it since I was able to buy it in a store last week, after 3 months of listening to downloaders poo-poo it, so I haven't been able to settle into it yet, but I have no complaints. Meanwhile, I had plenty to complain about Hearts of Oak's obnoxious bass tone and underwhelming production (it's the same limited tolerance for conspicuously indie production and rhythm sections that has kept me from getting into Chisel). This album delivers the level of fidelity Ted deserves and the insistent tempos he sounds best over, although it may not be his best set of songs (which for me is still The Tyranny of Distance). My friend Jeffy described "Heart Problems" well as "the catchiest song you'll ever hear about healthcare woes" (although "Treble In Trouble" is pretty catchy too). But what I'm really feeling are the disco hi-hats on "The Angels' Share" and "Little Dawn", which was my favorite of the new songs last time I saw Ted over the summer, and remains my favorite on record. But maybe more than anything else I'm grateful that my girlfriend likes Shake the Sheets, because I've made her into a serious Ted Leo fan over the past year and it was perfect timing for his new album to come out the same week as her birthday, so I'm glad she wasn't disappointed by the gift.

Labels: music, Ted Leo, The Posies

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 7:06 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.