“Bomb.Repeat.Bomb”
from the album Living with the Living
2007
iTunes
MP3 – “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb” [right-click/save-as]
Indie pop-punk kingpin Ted Leo’s sixth album with his band the Pharmacists is as taut, smart, and toe-tapping as anything the Thinking Man’s Punk has done. Songs like “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb” show the group has no plans to either slow down or water down their politically charged messages. The guy can write an anthem with the same acuity and attention to pop hookage as Alex Chilton or the Bevis Frond. Musically, Living with the Living tilts toward soul, though in a subtle way that’s in tune with his prior releases; it’s not like he just formed his own update of the Style Council (though that would sound rad). The Pogues-y tune “A Bottle of Buckie” even shows a rootsier side, while “The Unwanted Things” finds Leo working in the time-honored “world” music of choice for punkers, reggae. As eclectic as the record is, it never strays far from what Leo does best: wiry anthems that mix the personal with the political. It almost seems like Leo couldn’t make a false move if he tried.
And when the crying starts
You won’t have to see their bloodshot eyes turn red
And when the dying starts
You won’t have to know a thing about who’s dead
This is your mission
Pretend it’s television
Where the good guys always win.