18.

Titus Andronicus
The Monitor

A record that sounds far grander (and more pretentious) than it actually is – a loose concept album based on stories/battles/themes from the American Civil War, lanced with unrelated imagery and references to everything from Billy Bragg to Cheers, by a band named after a Shakespeare play. Should be as impenetrable/irritating as hell, but actually it’s quite a simple rock record. The obvious comparison – primarily because of the similarity between Patrick Stickles’ voice and that of Conor Oberst – is Desaparecidos. Another favorable comparison is Against Me!. Titus Andronicus make engaging punk rock which is both varied and accessible. There’s also a good dollop of pop-rock (‘Theme From Cheers’) and a lovely piano ballad (‘The Old Friends And The New’ – ‘lovely’ in terms of the music, not the lyrical content!). An album I got right near the beginning of 2010 that still gets played regularly. Would like to catch them live; I bet they’re good.