Some people hate Bright Eyes because of Conor Oberst's histrionic vocal stylings, which often give the impression that he is singing in a rock tumbler with a bag with a hungry rat in it strapped to his head. If this doesn't deter you, and you particularly like 2002's Lifted, or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, then you will probably enjoy the debut of New Jersey's own Titus Andronicus, The Airing of Grievances (Seinfeld reference, that), which takes the positive, propulsive aspects of Bright Eyes, and weds them to the Pogues' punk sensibility and (who else) Springsteen's engine. Lead singer Patrick Stickles does borrow heavily from Oberst's playbook, but then again one doesn't have to look far past Conor to find Paul Westerberg or a thousand other unconventional rockers yowling away unprettily. The record is out now, reportedly in a limited edition of 700 CDs, on Jersey City's Troubleman Unlimited label.
Titus Andronicus Myspace
Troubleman Unlimited website
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Interesting connection: apparently Titus Andronicus have something to do with a now-defunct party, The Creature, a friend of a friend used to throw downtown. The reason said party is defunct is because its prime mover, a guy who apparently only goes by Alex, has a newish band, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Like the name implies, they're an emo-ish riff on JAMC's fuzz; they use the term "anorak" to describe themselves, thus making the twee pop link explicit. Unlike their pals in Titus Andronicus, they're pleasant rather than abrasive. Right now there's a couple of 7-inches, and self-titled EP, which can be obtained over at Insound. Check them out below.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Myspace, website
