Word: albumful
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...concept behind Brutalism, a postwar architetural aesthetic, figures prominently in Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’ (TL/Rx) sixth studio album, “The Brutalist Bricks.” Like the raw concrete buildings meant to reveal the structure and function of their rooms through their exteriors, the album’s tracks combine to embody what seems to be the LP’s primary purpose. “Bricks” seeks to remain true to TL/Rx’s punk roots and commitment to a diverse range of musical genres, while experimenting with the style...
...album emerges with “The Mighty Sparrow,” a characteristic TL/Rx opener infused with energy and saturated with references to politics and romance—let it never be said that songwriter and frontman Ted Leo values rhyme over reason. Kicking off with Leo yelling “When the café doors exploded / I reacted to, reacted to you,” this track is an imperative statement. Coming from TL/Rx, its forcefulness is expected, but so is everything else—the song is unsurprising and ordinary. As flawless a blend as Leo?...
...reminiscent of the enervating, passionate style TL/Rx presented on 2004’s undervalued “Shake the Sheets”—and a thankful departure from the seriously underwhelming “Living with the Living,” 2007’s contender for album most in need of an edit—but it possesses a graduated feel, creating an explosive pop tune that is both infectious and arresting...
...haunting, but it’s overworked, and the result is a strange amalgamation of shrill tones bookended by segments that appear to have been recorded outside. The song is certainly different, but its oddness is remarkable only because it distinguishes itself from much of the rest of the album, which suffers from the conclusion that nine years after breakout debut “The Tyranny of Distance,” TL/Rx can still rock out—it’s just standard fare...
With tracks meant to fit coherently and easily into the larger constitution of an improved TL/Rx, “Bricks” too easily shows its cracks. The album purports to flow as seamlessly as the textured Brutalist buildings of the postwar era. But while its foundations remain solid, upon closer examination, “Bricks” is more often a revelation of the band’s disjointed endeavor to fuse old with...