Events

[PUNK] 29 songs in five acts over the course of 93 minutes. This is what The Most Lamentable Tragedy consists of purely in quantitative terms, but the latest from Titus Andronicus—their debut for Merge Records—is also an ambitious concept album. Taking punk in a direction that likely puts Ramones-era purists in a snit, the New Jersey art-punk quintet has produced a rock opera of sorts, riffing on depression, demons, and developmental psychology, all with a curious sci-fi bent. What else would we expect from a band named after a Shakespearean play? It’s not the first time that front man Patrick Stickles has pushed at the boundaries of the genre (2010’s The Monitor was also a conceptual piece loosely based on the American Civil War), and over a dozen departed members since the band’s 2005 inception hints that the scope of his vision might not be everyone’s cup of tea. On the other hand, turning a genre on its head to get one’s statement across is a very punk thing to do, indeed, lending credence to the notion that punk is a spirit before it’s a sound. As for the latter, there’s no mistaking the anguish and aggression at the band’s core, which came through loud and clear on the comparatively basic Local Business (XL, 2013). Either way, the critics have spoken: The Most Lamentable Tragedy made the 50 Best Albums of 2015 lists at Spin, Consequence of Sound, Stereogum… and American Songwriter. Paste Magazine gave it a 9.1/10, Pitchfork Media gave it an 8.1/10, and website Tiny Mixtapes slapped it with a five-star rating. Apparently, Titus Andronicus is making the sort of hybrid punk that tastemakers are craving these days. You be the judge when they play the Tralf Music Hall on Monday, March 21with Hold Steady front man Craig Finn.