[.ca] Hearts of Oak

incredible:
anyone who likes indie should get this cd! just buy it... it is so amazing and i love the lyrics! this band has become one of my favorites! diverse and highly melodic.... awesome riffs and voice variations!

What a Pleasure:
OK, I'm one of those types who buys too many CDs, too often because I hear a catchy indie-pop gem and hope I've found the next great thing. Most of those discs get played once and then are off to the resale bin. But every now and then, I stumble on to something that can still provoke a sense of joy and wonder. This is one of those albums and I have to admit it caught me out of leftfield. On the surface this is straightforward, high energy pop in a punky/new wave vein. The guitars are uniformly sharp, the vocals winsome and the hooks piled on. Its also highly literate--I can't think of another artist who uses the word "ossify" anywhere in a rock record, let alone in maybe the catchiest point of the best tune on the record. Most of the songs don't follow the typical verse/chorus/verse structure but tend to be longer narratives. Don't fear though, they're catchy as heck and there's not a weak tune in the batch. Reading the other reviews, I see references to a number of other bands. To me, the reference points that keep popping up are Squeeze and Split Enz, although this rocks out slightly harder than either. Whatever. The fact is, this is one of the best discs I've picked up in months and its stayed in my heavy rotation for abot 6 weeks now and I don't see it going anywhere soon. NOTE: I don't go back so far as Chisel, but Leo/Pharmacists previous effort, The Tyranny of Distance is nearly as good and worth checking out.

Too good to be true:
I only recently discovered Ted Leo so I have to admit I feel pretty stupid for not checking him out a lot sooner. "Hearts of Oak" combines a conglomerate of musical influences which Ted Leo weaves into his own brand of powerful indie rock. The album has a sort of late seventies rock feel at times, and it feels real good. Leo has a great voice and is an extremely good guitar player. His fills on "I'm a Ghost" and "The High Party" are outstanding and they help make very good songs even better. Dave Lerner and Chris Wilson make up the incredible rhythm section. Lerner's bass guitar is so pronounced that it is more like a rhythm guitar at times. His playing is reminiscient of Carlos D of Interpol, except a different kind of music. Ted Leo's lyrics are unreal. He uses razor sharp wit and highbrow intellectualism to convey some very concious songs. He doesn't sit on a high horse, he instead sings from the perspective of being down in the muck and confusion with the rest of us, commenting on what he sees. This is especially true on the "The Ballad of the Sin Eater". There are those who might call this a punk album, but those people are being unfair. The album combines too many influences too be pigeonholed, and besides, the biggest influence is Ted Leo himself. I would love to thank him personally for this classic album, but I guess the best way to show my gratitude would be to shut up and listen.

Kinda great for Leo...:
This album is also great. These lines I ca't forget but it keeps me smiling..! "I asked Jerry He told Terry/Terry sang a song just for me/Lynval gave a message to me/Rhoda screamed and then she asked me/Where have all the rude boys gone?" Just try and listen...

HAIKU:
This Album Rocks Hard Oh so Hard, How is does Rock Ted Leo, Drive a Geo