Send "Titus Andronicus " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Drownedinsound |
 Fascinating, overblown, downright baffling… sometimes concept albums are all these things, and sometimes, they are not. It is rare, though, they’re such terrific fun as the second set from Titus Andronicus, which squares up against colossal odds (societal reverberations of conflicts long passed; song length averaging six minutes; spoken-word interludes) and overcomes them with ease. I’d go as far as to label the quintet nonchalant, were it not for the negativity that word implies; from the opening notes of their blistering debut album The Airing of Grievances through the dying strains of The Monitor’s final track, it is clear that being in a band is the most important thing in the world for Titus Andronicus, everything they touch ablaze with righteous indignation.And so. A concept album about the American Civil War? Interspersed with quotations from historical figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Walt Whitman, The Monitor takes this conflict and uses it as a jumping-off point to explore our modern discontent. Singer Patrick Stickles is careful to point out that it is only ‘sort of’ a concept piece, and one that doesn’t take place in ‘in olden times’ – a point borne out in songs like ‘Theme from ‘Cheers’’, a college-years-inspired ode to excess that could feasibly be set at any point in the last 150 years....full text |
| Adequacy |
| What if all your passions were everything you had hoped for and more? And even if you were given everything and then some, what would finally draw you to fruition? The reason I ask is because a band like Titus Andronicus, known for their intensity and emotional pull, is not only passionately conveying their loves but they’ve found a way to deliver them with tremendous presence. Their debut album was a small hit and rather than cleaning out the closet with the same style, they packed it all into what band leader Patrick Stickles calls “more or less a ‘concept album.’” Yep, the band’s very own chief proponent wrote the press release to The Monitor and it couldn’t have come from a better person because it makes utter sense for Stickles to bring forth his band’s intentions on an album that’s, yes, all you had hoped for and more. But I think, even with that, you could safely pinpoint a band like Titus Andronicus’ ability in their natural knack for guitar hooks and energy. They’re the kind of ‘All-American band’ you can root for and even when they’re singing “The enemy is everywhere,” you can sing along too, air-guitar in tow, beer in one hand and cigarette hanging off the tip of your lip. Much like The Hold Steady, their influences come from the gritty rock off the streets and it’s so downright immediate that even an epic concept album like The Monitor can still sound like a good ol’ time. With his Conor Oberst-like croon, Stickles finds a way of bringing out his most clever and poignant lines to the table. And even when his band is romping away as if they were playing in a hole-in-the-wall pub, it’s his uncontrollable, unwavering magnitude that pulls everyone out of the hole and into the spotlight. Moments were the entire band is found shouting “You will always be a loser!” appear directly through the lenses of clarity of pounding drums and even louder guitars. So once you turn around and find that the name of the song is “No Future Part Three: Escape from No Future,” you can either just smile or throw your arms in the air and sing along – the latter always seems to work best....full text |
| Spin |
| This is ostensibly a Civil War concept album, but these Jersey smartasses aren't going Decemberists on us. Rather, frontman Patrick Stickles, sounding like an agitated Conor Oberst, is frustrated with our current state of disunion and intent on exorcising it with properly epiphanic refrains ("The enemy is everywhere," "It's still us against them," "I need whiskey," "You'll always be a loser"). With five songs clocking in at more than seven minutes, often thanks to detours down E Street, it's a big-idea album that feels small and personable, even as it's kicking you in the shin....full text |
Titus Andronicus lyrics
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