Glen Rock, NJ quintet Titus Andronicus made one hell of a debut with their 2008 release, The Airing of Grievances. That was downright irresistible – an air of bleakness and doom, but punked up and coming at you swinging. The band also felt the love for their follow-up, the ambitious and equally cynical The Monitor in 2010 (that enormous 14-minute finale “The Battle of Hampton Roads” has a bagpipe rocking out in it, for crying out loud).
This time around, we have Local Business (2012), offering no absolution to subject matter they tackled on their other albums, but more of a heavy-hitting reminder to keep up the fight against conformity, mediocrity and the mundane. They sound a bit tighter these days, but they’re just as rambunctious, evocative and loud. The spirit of punk burns brightly and blisters with these guys, even if the music isn’t strictly punk.
Titus Andronicus will be in Austin for a show tomorrow night on the outdoor stage at the Mohawk, 912 Red River, with Brooklyn punks The So So Glos and local band Cartright on the bill. A perfect fit. Doors open at 7 p.m. Do it.
