Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Shake the Sheets

Ted Leo has been making perfect pop prescriptions for a while now. Besides his stint with Chisel during the late 90s and with earlier bands before that (Citizen’s Arrest, Animal Crackers), he and his medicine-wielders known as the Pharmacists have released nothing short of rocking masterpieces — the emotional tidal-waves of The Tyranny of Distance and the bursting-at-the-seams energy of Hearts of Oak are irresistible, both albums ranking among the best of the decade. The question many critics seem to be asking now is: Can this man keep reaching the same heights? Unlike some may have it, Shake the Sheets is evidence that yes, he can, even if this particular record can’t hold it’s own against the last two.

First of all, the drums and bass are less prominent in the mix than on Hearts of Oak, and it stunts the effectiveness of the songs. There’s none of the rump-shaking fuzzed-out bass of “The Ballad of the Sin Eater” or “I’m a Ghost,” and the bouncy drum fills that worked to make those songs so kinetic is also absent. The guitars are now the centerpiece, but unfortunately they don’t have as much bite as anything from Hearts of Oak. I’m not sure if the change was a conscious choice by Ted Leo in an attempt to rock against Bush or a decision made by new producer/mixer Chris Shaw (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Kicks, Love and Theft), but it’s a poor one nonetheless. The songs themselves aren’t as outstanding as they could be, and it sure doesn’t help that the production choices give them less of the overwhelming energy that the Pharmacists are known for. It’s not so much the ingredients that have changed, it’s their relative measurements, and the end result falters.

That’s not to say there aren’t some worthy moments here. Opener “Me and Mia” is classic Ted Leo as far as fighting-for-survival anthems go, instructing us to “get up and be” what we think is beautiful, even in the face of adversity. Unquestionable highlight “Counting Down the Hours” is the one song that could fit right in on Hearts of Oak, with memorable melodies, incisive lyrics (“Accidents mean no one’s guilty / ignorance means someone’s killed”), and the only non-guitar/bass/drums instrument flourish on the album, a glockenspiel. (The rather dull “Criminal Piece” contains a piano somewhere, according to the liner notes, but I hear none.) There’s also the sing-along closer “Walking to Do,” the closest to the Thin Lizzified songs on The Tyranny of Distance and one that’ll have you clapping and whistling all the way down the street.

But there are definitely a few sub-par songs, likely a result of either hastiness or a failure to give songwriting as much time as writing relevant lyrics. “The Angels’ Share” plods along where it should lift as the song’s two main guitar riffs are driven into the ground with repetition. Penultimate track “Better Dead Than Lead” harbors undistinguished, repeated melodies that fail to develop, making it an unfortunate filler track in an already scant 11-song album. And the otherwise enjoyable “Little Dawn” is made insufferable by a completely unnecessary mantra of “It’s alright” at the end that lasts for two minutes when it would have benefited from a quick fade-out after about 15 seconds.

Even considering the obvious faults, the album succeeds in one major aspect: the politics. The perseverant, hopeful, determined mood prevalent on Shake the Sheets, especially in the title track, is refreshing. As we’ve now got another four years of it-can-only-get-worse, Ted Leo’s sentiments are particularly welcome; it’s just a shame that, on the whole, the songs aren’t able to carry the weight. Released but two weeks before the ’04 Presidential Election, it’s evident that Leo had a greater goal on his mind while writing it, and maybe it’s that political urgency that makes this record seem more hasty and underdeveloped than the previous two LPs. Perhaps he hadn’t had quite enough time to perfect the arrangements. But that’s not to say he’s lost it, and without the self-imposed political deadline that Shake the Sheets had, odds are the next album will deliver. This man won’t stop walkin’.