Local Business by Titus Andronicus

This collection is the band’s tightest and most cohesive, and they do so without losing any of the grit. 

By removing much of their signature distant-sounding vocal filters, grand historical speeches, spacey drones, and tightly knit arrangements, Titus Andronicus has successfully eliminated any sonic barriers that once stood in between the band and their listeners. 

Three guitars, a sense of humor in the face of despair, and an unwavering commitment to the underrated art of the rock ’n’ roll sing-along are what define Local Business.

Local Business gathers Tim-era Replacements road-rock, Thin Lizzy power-riffing, and a few selections from the Pinkerton playbook to create a relatively modest musical palette.

Local Business is an uneven record in comparison to the two that preceded it, owing to a slight loss of momentum in its back third, but the material that shines does so with an effulgent intensity that’s become par for the course with this group. 

Local Business also marks the first time the band seems like it's holding something back-- like there is a Plan B.

It just seems, well, minor compared to Titus Andronicus' previous efforts.

The trouble with Local Business, though, is that, for an album so focused on control, the songs themselves have a surprising lack of it.

It’s all well and good, well-tread but fairly timeless material, except that we know Stickles is capable of getting it across in ways that are so much more interesting.