Who are you New Jersey?

I've always been a little bit weary of the Garden State (that includes the movie too...we all know that was an excuse for a Shins album). My hard exterior of an opinion of the state loosened up a little after a trip with some friends that led us through Sparta, NJ went well. I further softened when I learned that the band Fountains of Wayne hails from the state (they gained some noteriety for novelty song "Stacy's Mom" but are actually a pretty good band besides that song, try "Hackensack" on for size).

I was talking to my English Teacher, a New Jerseyite himself, about upcoming concerts; he mentioned a band he was seeing in his hometown of Glenrock NJ. I hadn't heard of them so I went home and downloaded a couple of songs. They were both six plus minute anthems and they were really great. The bands name is of the same name as a Shakepeare play; Titus Andronicus, most likely one of Shakespeare's earliest tradgedys, this band is anything but a tradgedy though (apart from the fact that they are from New Jersey, sorry old habits die hard). The lyrics are great, full of awesome references, much like a band I blogged about earlier; The Dimes. I don't really have much more to say about them because I really don't know them all that well, but so far so great.


The first song I listened to was called "Four Score and Seven," an obvious reference to the Gettysburg Address. The song is pretty raw in its vocals, Eric Helm's first lines in the song are as follows: "This is a war we can't win After 10,000 years, it's still us against them and my heroes have always died at the end So who's going to account for these sins?" MAN! THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME. The song also manages to give off a little punk rock sound which is great and according to their page are a take on the "shoegaze" bands of the 80's (think The Verve and My Bloody Valentine). Hope you enjoy!

"Four Score and Seven" by Titus Andronicus from The Monitor (2010)
"A More Perfect Union" by Titus Andronicus from The Monitor (2010)

-S

P.S. Best line from "A More Perfect Union" (another historical allusion) Helms drops this gem: "And if I come in on a donkey, let me go out on a gurney I want to realize too late I never should have left New Jersey" and that is only one of the best lines in that song...

Update: Try and find the Titus Andronicus song "The Theme From Cheers" it is really awesome, a total ballad like most of their songs at 6+ minutes here's the best link I could find from HypeMachine.