Customer Reviews

Shake The Sheets

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ted Leo is the king of rock/pop-rock/punk/pop-punk...whatever the hell genre name floats your boat, this man is the king of it. Able to write infectious, hook-filled songs that still retain musical talent and lyrical integrity, Leo debunks any myths that pop/rock is always just teenagers whining about life. Every song on the album is excellent. Leo's lyrics show a wittiness and cleverness that not many other writers can rival. Of course, Leo isn't the only man in this band. His backing members, referred to as "The Pharmacists" are masters of their musical craft as well. The bass lines are more than just filler in this one. In fact, thye get to shine many times on the album, debunking yet another pop-rock myth: bass lines are never complicated or talented. The drumming is a source of hooks all throughout the album. Many times, I find myself recreating a Ted Leo song in my head, starting from the catchy drum tracks and building it up from there. Over all, this album combines musical talent, clever, well written lyrics, and a master knack for rock 'n' roll, making for one of the greatest albums of the year, if not all time

So I was looking up an old video by an old band (Sublime, to be exact) on launch.com. After finding it and watching it, I left the video window open for a bit, and, by chance, "Me and Mia" came on. I was instantly intrigued by the unique sound of this band and this incredibly catchy song, so I instantly looked them up. Listening to some samples and reading some reviews, I went out and bought this album for myself(something very rare for me). This album is awesome. Each song is catchy and great, and the subject matter is so apt to what's going on in politics and current events that it makes the music all the more relevant (though this album is about a lot more than just the administration, the war, and other politics). Ted Leo is by no means a political gadfly; he comes off just like another American citizen, who follows politics and makes opinions and does his share. Don't be scared, this music is far less political and much more human than I first thought; it's more about life than anything. Anyways, this album is worth it even just for Me and Mia (the musical equivalent to injecting endorphins directly into your bloodstream). Awesome album.

Ohmigod. Who is this man?
My friends swear by Ted Leo, but until today, I didn't know much about him. Then this morning, a friend of mine brought a copy of Shake the Sheets to my place. I was working hard on a final draft of a paper for class. Well, within ten minutes MSWord was closed down, I had bought a copy of his last CD, Hearts of Oak, from Amazon, and I was listening to every Ted Leo song I could get my hands on.
This man is a phenomenal talent, and it is the ultimate shame that he has yet to be recognized by mainstream media. Then again, after Shake the Sheets, I don't see how anyone could ignore Ted Leo and the Pharmacists anymore.

If you wanted a checklist to know all that is good and great and essential to make wicked pop music you might like to include melody, passion, honesty, intelligence.... Ted Leo has done his homework it would seem, as this album has these qualities by the bucket load. Each song is bursting with punk rock spirit and energy, on a one man mission to get you to question yourself, art, politics and all the mess that surrounds us. If you like your rock and roll sharp and witty in the mould of Elvis Costello and other such greats, discover Ted Leo now. 'Shake The Sheets' is a full on 11 track call to arms for you to sit up and have faith that good songs might just save your life.

This is the first Ted Leo CD I have bought and I think it really showcases the band's ability and style. First off, all the songs are infectiously catchy and buzzing with energy. If this is punk, then I like it. Their musical prowess is matched with blatantly political lyrics (this album was released before the election, after all). I haven't heard any of Ted's other albums all the way through, but it seems like he's taken a more straighforward approach to his music. I'd say this is worth a buy!

The songs on "Shake The Sheets" zip past in a near-breathless rush, each one crammed so full with melodic ideas that you'd be excused for wishing Ted Leo would just slack off for a few minutes simply to change the pace - but when you inevitably press the repeat button you'll be glad he didn't. Every tune here is deserving to be somebody's favorite, but the standouts ("Me And Mia", "Criminal Piece", "Walking To Do") are absolute marvels of pop craft: succinct, dynamic, passionate, and rife with hooks. Leo at times has a vocal timbre similar to Kevin Rowlands (of Dexy's Midnight Runners) - though he thankfully resists Rowlands' urge to showboat - and his music rewrites the pop/punk rulebook by incorporating a few classic rock moves ("Criminal Piece" has me reaching for names like Thin Lizzy when attempting to describe it). "Shake The Sheets" is easily one of my favorite albums of '04.

It's been years since I have listened to an album that has made me pullover my car a just to catch my breathe. Remember that feeling when you first discovered music and needed to tell the world about it? Shake the Sheets is the follow up to Ted's 2003 critically acclaimed album Hearts of Oak. This Clash-style politico-punk contains some of the most powerful and moving music that has released to date. This album harnesses the live power of drummer Chris Miller, funky bass rifts of Dave Lerner, the poetic lyrics/rock guitar riffs of Ted and is toped off with some of the best mixing that I have ever listened to in my life. Shake the Sheets by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists just might be the prescription for all the bland, meaningless top forty garbage that has saturated the music industry.

Ted Leo peps up his step in his new release "Shake the Sheets". Ted Leo's new album builds on his assortment of witty, quirky, guitar-driven pop songs. His fourth full-length album off of "Lookout! Records" is full of catchy tunes and ingenious lyrics to match. Leo teamed up with producer Chris Shaw (dashboard confessional [gay]) to polish off this one. Though this may be a great album in its entirety, Leo's previous works still go uncontested. The ongoing controversial war in Iraq and past election are prominent in many of the songs off "Shake the Sheets", especially "The one who got us out". I highly recommend this album, Leo lives up to the standards he has set for himself in the past decade. I more then recommend Leo's former mod-rock band Chisel for any of you who enjoy his sound. Leo is definetly one of the best artists of our time, spread the word niggas =(.

Yeah, it's all already been said on this page, but the presence of two - count em', TWO - negative reviews (sheesh, where do they FIND these earless wonders?) compells me add my ten cents: How can anyone with a heart and a pulse and a taste for rock music not like this album? Far, FAR superior to the tepid "Hearts of Oak", this record blisters and blares with soul and gumption through a half-hour (approx.) salvo of pristine vocal hooks and impeccably placed guitar licks. It's as good as "Tyrranny of Distance", though stylistically it's a bit more reminiscent of Leo's earlier work with Chisel and their pop-punk classic "8 am All Day". Ultimately, it strikes a nice balance somewhere between the song writing skills and technical virtuosity of an Elvis Costello and the tireless pop energy and punk spirit of Scared of Chaka. Quite possibly the Lookout label's last saving grace, this man and his band may be poised to reclaim the indierock world from all these foreign garage poseurs and drivelly emo-schmucks whove been getting so much press these past couple years. Bright Eyes beware!

This is the first album I have bought of Ted Leo, so I can't really say that this is his best album, but this is my pick for album of the year.

This is true punk rock, none of the Good Charlotte, Simple Plan "punk" rock. Those kids should be taking notes and taking off the eyeliner and Urban Outfitters threads.

This is a great throwback to the heyday of The Clash, Buzzcocks, style of rock. Buy this CD and support independent music everywhere