Since the attacks of Sept. 11, many artists have made albums about their feelings in regard to the events occuring in America. Emotions range from remorse and mourning, to hope and the undying American spirit. With his album, Hearts of Oak, Ted Leo evokes a feeling that truly hasn”t been explored yet: resentment. Instead of trying to pick up the pieces and forget about what happened, Leo is constantly posing throughout the album: ‘What did we do to force people to do this to us?’
The album starts with the eerie ‘Building Skyscrapers in the Basement.’ Behind screeching violins and rolling drums, Leo tells of a girl so scared she can”t turn down the lights. It is a prelude of things to come.
But before that seriousness there is the standout ode to The Specials, ‘Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?’ By far it is the most light-hearted of the songs on the album, replete with bouncing drums, driving bass and excellent guitar riffs. Hidden deep within the lyrics is a man escaping from the times to find solace in the ska music of his past.
Judging from the musical leanings of the album, it is no surprise that Leo is a child of new wave. His lyrics harken back to the angry days of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, while his organ-heavy rock is more of the Elvis Costello ilk. A perfect example of this is the song ‘The Anointed One.’ Starting with only guitar and keyboards, the song quickly intensifies into a driving force of anger and frustration. It wasn”t until successive listenings that the lyrics were found to be a frontal attack of George W. Bush. As Leo sings, ‘In the Capitol/ With your freezer full/ Do you represent your district, or your daddy”s will?’
In the song ‘The Ballad of the Sin Eater,’ Leo tells a tale of traveling the world, and experiencing the world”s true opinion of America. He is beaten, cheated and left for dead. The fuzzed-out basslines and spoken-word vocals give this song a surreal sensation, as if his bewilderment throughout the song was directly translated to music.
It”s been too long since an artist was able to mix politics and musicality in such a way, so as to not overshadow each other. As much as he is angry and frustrated, his songs aren”t just a conduit to relay his message. Instead, the songs come first, and only up on deeper contemplation does the meaning truly come to the surface. It”s the kind of punk music that should have continued on after The Clash, but didn”t. Thankfully, Hearts of Oak came just when punk music needs it.
