Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy

In 2010, Titus Andronicus released The Monitor, a record which took the concept of the American Civil War and used it as an allegory for modern life as an underdog. TMLT takes that same ambition and repurposes it as a blistering rock opera dealing with alienation, manic depression, body doubles and transformative soul-searching.

What could have easily been an exercise in pretension is instead filtered through the appealing mediums of heartland rock and Jersey basement punk. At 29 tracks, this triple LP leaves more than enough room to toy around with multiple variations of the styles they’ve explored over the years. The raw, hook-driven Dimed Out captures the nervous aggression of their Airing of Grievances era, whereas More Perfect Union switches gears to a multi-sectioned slow-burn. Even on a tracklisting with room for Pogues and Daniel Johnston covers, this is an album at its best when head honcho Patrick Stickles spits his own brand of dark lyrical wit. [Ross Watson]