Titus Andronicus | photo via titusandronicus.net
An in-store with Titus Andronicus and two pianos at Creep Records sounds potentially awesome
I’ll admit it – I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around The Most Lamentable Tragedy, the universally-praised, 90-minute concept album / rock opera / epic from Jersey punk outfit Titus Andronicus. I respect that Patrick Stickles and the band are following their muse wherever it leads them, and a ton of fans are evidently along for the ride (their First Unitarian Church basement show is sold out), but to my ears it feels like a lot of all-over-the-place bombast and rehash of what Titus has delivered so remarkably well on previous releases Local Business, The Monitor and The Airing of Grievances. (I’m quite possibly completely wrong about this – listen here and let me know what I’m missing.)
Then again, I can’t deny an amazing happening when I see one, and the news that Titus will be performing an in-store set at Northern Liberties’ Creep Records the day after the Church show is pretty incredible. It’s billed as a “piano duo set,” which opens up all sorts of amazing possibilities. The show is first-come, first-serve and free – though Creep encourages fans to support both the tour and the band by purchasing Tragedy on its triple-LP vinyl edition (released on Merge Records) and getting it signed by the guys after the set.
More information on the in-store can be found here; watch the video for “The Magic Morning” below.