Thursday, November 19, 2009

Titus Andronicus - The Innocents Abroad: Live in London

Titus Andronicus – The Innocents Abroad: Live in London
Merok, 2009
Acquired: KJHK Music Staff, New, 2009
Price: $0

This came in after Alison became music director, and since we got two copies she hooked me up with one. It was recorded a couple weeks after I saw them at the Bottleneck, and it's pretty much the same set with two covers that WEREN'T Spider Bags “Waking Up Drunk” and a new one I don't think I'd heard. They get the new ones out of the way right off the bat, and the one that I think is called “The Enemy is Everywhere” is a short, fast, loud blistering punk jam with four part shouty harmonies with a little surf influence thrown in (they also cover “Wipeout” by the Surfaris directly after that). It's a pretty excellent document of their live show complete with Patrick Stickles' excellent stage banter. When I saw him he went on this big rant about how it sucks when you're on tour and you have to have your dad send your anti-anxiety meds through the mail.

Actually, listening to this I realize they played more songs at the Bottleneck show. Side two merely consists of “No Future Part 1 & 2” lumped together as one massive dirge and a stellar, unhinged version of the Modern Lovers' “Road Runner.” Despite the rather short track listing (7 songs), it's a prime example of what this band is like live: completely insane and a total fucking blast to watch and hear. This vinyl was limited to 300 copies and hopefully Titus Andronicus will get wicked famous so I can sell it for top dollar if I need the money or keep it as a little treasure of my record collection. Ultimately, I want these guys to be the next Pixies. Based on their debut LP, The Airing of Grievances, I think it's entirely possible after a few more stellar records. That is, Pixies with a little bit of a New Jersey (i.e. Springsteen) vibe.

Here's a video of "Titus Andronicus" the song, which I wish was on this record:

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