IN REVIEW: Titus Andronicus - "The Will To Live"

 

In the time since the release of their 2010 critical breakthrough The Monitor, Titus Andronicus have done a lot of exploring while remaining true to their well-read rock tendencies. 2012's Local Business was intentionally more straightforward than the sprawling Civil War concept record that preceded it, while 2015's The Most Lamentable Tragedy supersized their approach across two albums and over 90 minutes, only to compact themselves again on 2018's A Productive Cough and again on An Obelisk, which followed a quick year later.

With The Will to Live, there seems to be a simpler approach, a focus on paying homage to classic rock heroes that serves the majority of their seventh album well; the album starts off with the instrumental My Mother is Going to Kill Me, which sets the stage with squealing solos and a high energy performance that carries over to (I'm) Screwed, which carries a classic rock swagger akin to T. Rex and The Rolling Stones in a dust-up. True to the Stones reference, following track I Can Not Be Satisfied features some fast and loose riffs and sweaty backing harmonies (and another ace solo). 

This is followed by Bridge and Tunnel, one of the album's two seven-minute songs and one that stretches out its sound accordingly with pianos, heavily strummed acoustic guitars, some busy drumming and highly melodic turns throughout; when the song transforms into a slow burning piano ballad (accompanied by Josée Caron), it's a moment of cloud-parting bliss that reminds us of just how well this band does big. Careful not to go too sprawling too soon, this is followed by the album's shortest track in the 90-second instrumental Grey Goo, which leads into the fleet, punky basher Dead Meat, a song that fearlessly channels Nirvana and reminds old guys like me that they, like The Stones and The Who before them, are classic rock now too. That said, the final minute suddenly transforms the song into a dreamlike, Floydian dirge to keep us on our toes.

An Anomaly, the other seven-minute epic on display, further explores the human nature and religious undercurrent that runs through the album, Patrick Stickles admonishing our evil urges and the devils that live within us. As the song progresses, the layers of guitars keep building and, as the song leaves its halfway point amid a storm of solos, one can picture the flames and feel the sin creeping within our bones.

From here, things get a bit more economical, but no less thrilling; Give Me Grief, written in the wake of a close friend's passing, sees Stickles finding the titular will to live as the band bashes out a jubilant rock song. Baby Crazy, meanwhile, brings back some of that punk flavour as Stickles spits rapid-fire verses and belts out a Clash-like chorus. Then comes All Through the Night, which slows things down a touch but maintains a Who-like measure of energy; the album closes with a pair of previously existing songs in a cover of Cock Sparrer's We're Coming Back and the band's own 69 Stones, which previously appeared in a more countrified form on their 2016 live album.

Overall, The Will to Live plays like both a reverent celebration of rock history and the soundtrack to getting through adversity; framed in our times, it's a much needed dose of strength for those who have been beaten down by life and all of its trappings. Rather than wallowing in the doldrums or offering heavy handed politicizing, The Will to Live finds time for both of those activities but is ultimately a life affirming record that places its priorities in providing the most honest rock album Titus Andronicus have offered up to date.

September 30, 2022 • Merge

Highlights I Can Not Be Satisfied • Dead Meat • Give Me Grief