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.
It just seems, well, minor compared to Titus Andronicus' previous efforts.
Local Business also marks the first time the band seems like it's holding something back-- like there is a Plan B.
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.
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.
A wonderful album, which I avoided for a long time because I have never had much liking for this band, but this lively album changed my approach.
A WONDERFUL PHOTO COVER!
Everything is fine here.
Coming off the back of the great concept album The Monitor this is a serious step back. This project is a whole lot less ambitious. The major flaw here is that it has an extremely skippable middle section, and if it weren't for recent times proving things could get much worse; then this would be considered Titus Andronicus' worst album. But luckily, there are some really good songs in here to help forget that songs like Food Fight, and the song where he wants to let you know that he's going ... read more
En este trabajo los chicos de Nueva Jersey simplifican bastante su estilo y nos ofrecen un disco más agradable de escuchar que los dos anteriores. Con “Local Business”, los norteamericanos nos demuestran que siguen siendo ellos básicamente porque no se casan con nada ni con nadie y hacen, por tercera vez (y seguro que no será la última), lo que les da la gana.
#3 | / | Paste |
#8 | / | A.V. Club |
#37 | / | Spinner |
#38 | / | Rolling Stone |
#39 | / | Complex |