Titus Andronicus | Local Business

XL Records (2012)

By DAN WEISS | October 18, 2012

3.5 Stars

Springsteen, of all people or things, ended up emulsifying those two warring factions of '70s rock: punk and prog. That intersection isn't new, but the prog/punk back-to-basics album is. Local Business, the first Titus Andronicus record suited to casual listening, poses a wonderful excuse for these eight-minute sagas: "Too many generalizations and not enough time to make 'em specific" ("Ecce Homo"). That zinger is only topped by "I know the world's a scary place/that's why I hide behind a hairy face" and "Try to swallow while you're still young/that your dick's too short to fuck the world." (One of those lines is from an eight-minute saga concerning eating disorders. We won't tell you which one.) But Patrick Stickles finally overworks his music to match his trying-too-hard fables, and lucky for us they're New York Dolls homages, right down to the harmonica solo, with nothing exceeding the 10-minute mark. In this prog/punk era, that's all we can ask.

TITUS ANDRONICUS + CEREMONY:: The Sinclair, 52 Church St, Cambridge :: November 30 @ 7 pm :: 18+ :: $16-$18 :: 617.541.7700 or sinclaircambridge.com

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