[rating=7.00]
In a recent interview, Ted Leo spoke at length about the trials and tribulations of even recording a new album after seven years largely removed from the music business. Aside from an Aimee Mann collaboration which received fairly solid reviews at the time of its release, Leo has kept a low profile while struggling with internal and external personal issues that inform much of his latest record, The Hanged Man.
Right off the bat the track “Moon Out of Phase” makes it abundantly clear why this latest release lacks the usual “+ the Pharmacists” that has become customary of Ted Leo albums for almost twenty years. “Moon Out of Phase” is a darker, slower track featuring more ambiguous and personally introspective lyrics than is Leo’s usual MO. The musical ground covered here more closely resembles Leo’s solo, electric guitar performances from years gone by.
While there are tracks that will satisfy the Pharmacists faithful’s desire to hear Leo engage in his typical realm of indie rock informed by the stylings of Thin Lizzy, Leo takes full advantage of The Hanged Man’s unique place in his oeuvre by exploring marginal experimental territory that would frankly feel out of place on a Pharmacists record.
“Gray Havens” employs an electronic beat, something Leo hasn’t used since his very earliest Pharmacists work, tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists. Dirges like “The Nazarene” and “Make Me Feel Loved” that take the tempo down and focus more on Leo’s voice than raucous guitar action reveal not only the ragged nature of his soul at those moments in time but also the maturity of his spirit and resolve.
The Hanged Man isn’t entirely a testament to Leo’s world-weariness. By his own admission, he couldn’t just throw away the songs that hold a broader appeal to his fans. The Hanged Man still possesses plenty of fun, feel good punk rock moments like the ones that brought Leo to fame in the first place. However, it’s a step in a new direction for an older and wiser Leo.
