Shakespeah made proud

Titus Andronicus: Titus Andronicus
(Yes, they have a song named after themselves. You don't?)

Titus Andronicus played like a million free shows in NYC this summer, and they were probably the one band I really wanted to see that I never got a chance to. (Come back from Jersey, guys! We miss you!) The rumor was that they put on a hell of a show, and listening to their first album, this doesn't surprise me. Poor me. Luckily, they're touring again:

Jan 15 Ottobar w/Los Campesinos! Baltimore, Maryland
Jan 16 Cat's Cradle w/Los Campesinos! Carrboro, North Carolina
Jan 17 The Earl w/Los Campesinos! Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 19 Jack Rabbits w/Los Campesinos! Jacksonville, Florida
Jan 21 Club Downunder w/Los Campesinos! Tallahassee, Florida
Jan 24 Exit-In w/Los Campesinos! Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 25 Hi Tone w/Los Campesinos! Memphis, Tennessee
Jan 27 One Eyed Jack's w/Los Campesinos! New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 29 Walter's on Washington w/Los Campesinos! Houston, Texas
Jan 30 The Parish w/Los Campesinos! Austin, Texas
Jan 31 Club Dada w/Los Campesinos! Dallas, Texas
Feb 3 The Bottleneck w/Los Campesinos! Lawrence, Kansas
Feb 3 The Bottleneck w/Los Campesinos! Lawrence, Kansas
Feb 4 The Gargoyle w/Los Campesinos! St. Louis, Missouri
Feb 6 Der Rathskeller w/Los Campesinos! Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 7 Logan Square Auditorium w/Los Campesinos! Chicago, Illinois
Feb 10 Calvin College Ladies Literary Club w/Los Campesinos! Grand Rapids, Michigan
Feb 11 Wexner Center for the Arts w/Los Campesinos! Columbus, Ohio
Feb 12 Swarthmore College Olde Club w/Los Campesinos! Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Feb 13 Paradise Rock Club w/Los Campesinos! Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 14 Bowery Ballroom w/Los Campesinos! New York, New York
Feb 15 Bowery Ballroom w/Los Campesinos! New York, New York


The whole album, The Airing of Grievances, is pretty much what the title suggests, although thankfully it's not just a pack of angry young jerks screaming at you for 40 minutes (well, it is, but in the good Ramones way, and not in the bad Limp Bizkit way.) (BTW, the link above may be broken. I'm working on it, and it's Blogger, not me). It is, more than anything, instead of anger and hopelessness, a fuck-it-all celebration of anger and hopelessness, it that were possible: their are chimes, cowbells, harmonicas, and all in all, it resembles a kind of Biblical block party -- there are ancient references up the wazoo, a la the Thermals. Plus an excerpt from Camus. Holy crap, these guys read. I think I'm in love.



Titus Andronicus on Myspace