Rating: NNN
Ted Leo’s sixth full-length isn’t smashing any windows in the comfortable home he’s made for fans of his brand of part punk, mostly pop and entirely lyric-heavy rock.
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While the guitars are snappy and the sound is full, some will be turned off by Leo’s ever-present political messages about Bush-era America, the toiling worker and peacekeeping resolutions on the floor of the UN.
His social commentaries occasionally overwhelm the music, as on Bottled In Cork, a doozy that might elicit an “I get it, I get it, the world is fucked” response. And though he also stumbles on the underdeveloped, raspy, pop diversion One Polaroid A Day, Leo’s still built a sturdy addition to the band’s discography.
Top track: Where Was My Brain?