Titus Andronicus - "A Productive Cough"

Titus Andronicus is a New Jersey-based band who have been making wordy, narrative-heavy Punk music for almost 10 years now.  They made their debut in 2008 with "The Airing of Grievances".  This was a punchy album filled with great attitude and fantastic energy.  Tracks like "Fear and Loathing In Mahwah NJ" and "Titus Andronicus" were just so damn catchy and showed the band to be a seriously great new name in punk.  But their narratives still needed work for sure, and the production on this album was a little scratchy.  Titus Andronicus returned in 2010 with the much more ambitious and cleaned up "The Monitor".   This album was even longer, with even more narratives thrown in, and even more clashing genres.  But on top of that, Titus Andronicus was thinking outside the box, writing damn near anthems, and enough singalong choruses to shake a stick at.  While I honestly thought that occasionally maybe they focused a little too much on narratives, this was still a damn fine album.  Now, I had high hopes for 2012's "Local Business", I really did.  But to be honest, I just felt like this album was incredibly lackluster.  All of the great passion and energy of the first two Titus Andronicus albums was gone, and in its place was a series of sort of upbeat Indie tunes.  And while their narration-heavy tales had been hit and miss with me over the years, I was seriously missing them. In 2015 though, Titus Andronicus threw their rule book out the window entirely and released "The Most Lamentable Tragedy".  This was an hour and a half rock opera about schizophrenia, and it's actually not that bad.  As a matter of fact, in a lot of ways, it's my favorite Titus Andronicus album.  Tracks like "Fired Up" and "Mr. E. Man" are easily some of the most memorable Titus tracks I'd heard in years.  Now, I do have to say there's a lot of filler on this album, and any album towering at an hour and a half is a little rough to sit through.  But I would say "The Most Lamentable Tragedy" is actually a really solid album. Now, there were two singles released from this album.  The first of those two is one of the most boring tunes I've heard from Titus Andronicus in their entire career.  But the other may just be the best song I've heard from these guys in years.  Let's chat about this new Titus Andronicus album.

    This album starts out with “Number One (In New York)”.  And let me tell you, it’s an unexpectedly sweet, sunny intro.  But while that may do something for some, for me this does absolutely nothing.  Patrick Stickles has always been such a dynamic frontman, with such great energy and wild performances.  But this just sort of seems like a solo track of his, with practically nothing else going on other than him and his piano.  It’s a weird track too, say the least.  Like, yea, there are some pleasant instrumentals floating through the background, and this picks up into a sort-of anthemic drunken bar tune.  But none of this is what I expected to hear from Titus Andronicus.  Even when Patrick seems to be at his most passionate here, he just sounds like he hastily threw this together.  I’m down for a slower tune from them for sure, but nothing about “Number One (In New York)” reels me in.  I feel like 90% of this tune I’m just sitting around waiting for something to happen, for some roaring riff to come thrashing in or anything for that matter.  We get none of that, just 8 minutes of Patrick rambling away on his piano.  This may be the “mature” sound of Titus Andronicus, but it’s the tamest and lackluster I’ve ever heard the band.  You know an intro is really boring when some simple horns are just enough to wake me up though.  There are some really weird HOO HAH vocals in the intro to “Real Talk”, but I’ll give them a pass.  Patrick’s back at his piano again, and he’s back to sounding like some drunk.  But at least this one has a great bluesy vibe to it, and the gang vocals actually come off memorable.  Sure, this sounds like it could have been recorded by anyone sitting at an Irish Pub in the right place at the right time, and certainly not by a very forward thinking Punk band.  But “Real Talk” is oddly charming.  Even if I seriously miss the blistering riffs and the vast narratives of the band’s early days.  And while yes, this is incredibly one dimensional and gets really old really fast, I can actually sink my teeth into this.  Those backing vocals are really bizarre though, just saying. Then we have “Above The Bodega”, which is a sort of murky, classic rock-tinged Roots Rock tune that once again has Patrick…..behind his Piano.  Now I’ll be honest, as far as a slow-paced tune goes from Titus Andronicus, this is as good as it gets.  I’ll actually go out on a limb and say this is easily one of my favorite Titus Andronicus tunes I’ve heard in years.  I can’t help but get caught up in the bluesy rhythms and the group vocals that seem to just get bigger and bigger as this one rolls on.  It’s all gravy, even though this is far from what I was expecting to hear.  It’s just so straightforward and a seriously well-written Rock tune.  It’s catchy, memorable, and overall very well done.  Hell, if we got more tunes like this on here, this album would be so much easier to enjoy. But the fun is over, let me tell you.  As soon as “Crass Tattoo” hits, I’m honest to God begging for any sort of switch up.  This track is beyond boring.  This album may have been sort of charming at first.  But this one is the farthest thing from that.  Here, we get these super sleepy vocals that you think are going to explode and do something.  But they go nowhere, and I have nothing else to even say about “Crass Tattoo”.  This is a real problem, and if this continues in the future for Titus Andronicus we’re going to have an issue. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI3UXQyi8l0

    And I don’t know about you all, but the very last thing I wanted to hear right now was a half-assed Bob Dylan cover.  I honestly think the Titus Andronicus could have done something really cool with this cover.  But Patrick just sounds so awkward and seriously bored with “(I’m) Like a Rolling Stone”.  Instrumentally, this is a welcome change from just Patrick alone with his piano.  But that’s because there’s just a tiny bit of energy here.  But what does this track say about the state of Titus Andronicus?  They have to rely on an incredibly mediocre cover just to get a little energy flowing?  I mean sure, as the track gets bigger in the last minute or so things do shape up a bit.  But overall, whose idea was this?  But then “Home Alone” kicks in, and holy FUCK is that a guitar?  Like, an electric guitar?  With some actual bite to it?  Have I fallen into that deep of a sleep?  Man is this track ever a breath of fresh air.  This is just so chugging, so intense, and even Patrick sounds on his wild side and much more unhinged.  Honestly, I don’t think there’s a single element to this that I’m absolutely drooling over.  I love how heavy the pianos are, and just how strong the groove is.  There are some moments that are a little underwritten, and this obviously didn’t need to be over 8 minutes.   But I can’t help but dig “Home Alone”.  I also love how unpolished and grungy this one is.  When Titus Andronicus really get into this groove, everything gets ’s so hypnotic and genius.  Even the extended jam towards the end is done well.  If we got an album like this from start to finish, I really would be thrilled.  “Mass Transit Madness (Goin’ Loco’)” ends this album off, and goes right back to a much softer sound.  I’m not even pissed about that, but come on, where is that same passion and emotion?  There have been lighter tunes on this album that have worked perfectly fine.  But this is an absolute mess.  The drunken bar tunes have become so sloppy that they sound more like Patrick was drunk when he wrote them.  Not even when those guitars pop in does this one get better.  This album is as exhausting to listen to as Patrick sounds performing it. 

Rating: 6.2/10




Give A Listen To: "Real Talk", “Above the Bodega (Local Business)”, "Home Alone"




Genre: Heartland Rock / Indie Rock / Half-Drunk Ballads




Overall Thoughts:  Titus Andronicus here put down the electric guitars and leave their Punk attitude at home for their "mature" album.  All of that I'm fine with, it's bound to happen to most bands at one point or another.  But Patrick Stickles and company also end up leaving their energy and songwriting talents at home as well.  There are a few tracks on here that come off as they were meant to, as emotional, heartfelt drunken ballads.  Hell, they even come off charming, and absolutely had me singing along by the end.  But the rest of this album is a chore to sit through, between repetitive songwriting and lazy hooks.  I have no clue what happened here, what Titus Andronicus were aiming for, but I would take confusing narratives over this any day of the week.