Ted Leo "Living with the Living"

Ted Leo breaks no new ground. I know it, he knows it, and everyone familiar with his music knows it. While his fans can argue that he plays for those who weren't able to catch his influencors in their prime,  another, and more convincing argument is that Leo is good at what he does. And to be honest, he really fucking is.

 

Touch & Go

Living with the Living is fantastically well done and had it been made in the '70s, it would be a masterpiece. The second song, "Songs of Cain," sounds like a cross between The Replacements' "Bastards of Young" and the Clash's "Hateful" and as unlikely as it may seem, it's almost as good. The same goes for the Costello-ish "Army Bound" and "The Unwanted Things," which sounds like the Clash in reggae mode. These songs have a certain brilliance, but it's greatly reduced by their unoriginality. Listening to this album is like hitting on a hot and vacant woman when there's already a beautiful and smart one at home.

Had Ted Leo been born 30 years earlier, it’s possible he would be regarded as a genius. But just as likely, he could have looked at the burgeoning punk scene of the late 1970s and started a fantastic doo-wop band.

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