Ted Leo and the Pharmacists is a one beard band, which is unusual in these times of furry fashion statements. Regardless, I keep hearing about this band, though this is my first chance to actually hear them play. As an added bonus, the promo CD came with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists perscription pad. So if you need anything, *wink* *wink*, see me after class.

Reading through the press material that accompanied this upcoming release titled “Living With the Living,” Ted must be punk, for it alludes to that five, maybe six times. While punk influences can definitely be heard here, they certainly do not dominate. I get the feeling that past Pharmacists recordings have been decidedly more punk. With that stated, Ted seems to really be stepping out on “Living With the Living.”

With such a background in punk, this album is decidedly un-punk to me. In fact, my first thought was that Ted Leo was country as “The Sons of Cain” came on. I heard similarities to the Old ’97s in Ted’s slight New Jersey twang. Unfortunately, things just sort of fell apart after that.

“Living With the Living” seems to be a hodge podge of different styles. The only consistency I could find was the terrific musicianship of the band. “A Bottle of Buckie” is an attempt to cop the Pogues, though it falls short, which is probably best. It was fine until the tin whistle came in, then it lost me. “Colleen” I almost skipped with it’s silly lyrics: “Colleen/ Never to be crowned queen/ Never an evergreen/ Floating above the scene/ As still as a figurine” etc. I don’t know this Colleen, but I want her out of my life, or at least my headphones!

The most jarring song on the record is the gritty “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb” which seems to grab ahold of that punk ethos the press material references so often. Unfortunately it is followed shortly there after by the Desmond Dekker-lite “The Unwanted Things,” which is completely out of place.

Taken by themselves, these songs could definitely stand up for themselves, but collected here on “Living With the Living” they just seem to jerk the listener around too much. I imagine to an existing Ted Leo fan, this will be a fabulous record for their collection, but for the rest of us, maybe they are better live.

“Living With the Living” will be released on March 20 through Touch and Go Records.