Tyranny of Distance, the

Ted Leo/Pharmacists - This is some fantastic pop rock. It reminds a bit of Mathew Sweet at times but some of the songs are bit more complex. Instrumentally they are totally on. Some songs are really simple with just a basic catchy guitar line and simple drums and others have layers upon layers of instruments with keyboards, strings, cool distortion, handclapping, and more. Vocals are always clear, smooth, and up front. Overall this is really fun to listen to and would be great for anyone wanting to play some straight up pop rock. My Picks: 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11
Katie P. 8/13/01

1) Fades in the keyboards and then guitar strums in a bit louder. Clear vocals and nice pounding drums. Midtempo swing beat. Driving beat that seems to continue to build throughout the song until the middle where a string section comes in (violin and maybe cello). Then the strings and band come in for a full sound.
2) Uptempo driving beat. Again builds in intensity. Chorus effect on vocals. Cute song, fun.
3) Crazy guitar line starts off and then it seems to change mood to a midtempo quieter song. Bouncy pop song. Cool pounding drums. Reminds me of Mathew Sweet.
4) Uptempo fun pop song. Nice jangley guitars and solid driving drums. Almost exhausting but it has a few places where it cools down just a bit. Nice droning guitar solo.
5) Fast midtempo with a sort of tough rock feel. Ok, so it's not that tough, it is pop music after all. In the middle it has a weird almost celtic thing (or maybe southwestern thing) going on.
6) Midtempo drag with a fuller bass sound. Almost droning. Has sort of a late 60s rock feel.
7) Nice guitar riff to start it off. Fast midtempo song. Still nice and poppy.
8) Bouncy uptempo swing beat. Nice solid guitar solo. Fun driving beat that doesn't really let up. Cool handclaps too.
9) Cool effect on guitar with an uptempo driving beat. Solid tempo that keeps building in intensity. Kind of changes mood near the end to a more lighthearted sound.
10) Acoustic guitar fingering. Strings (at least a few cellos) come in giving a haunting feel. Quiet and sweet.
11) Abrupt guitar hits with a solid bass line in the background. Builds up to a nice fast midtempo. Cool guitar lines that are heavy on the bass. Nice distortion too.
12) Midtempo guitar strumming and singing. Almost a pleading desperate song.