This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Some people think songwriting is a dying art. Clearly, they have never listened to Ted Leo. I can only recommend they — and you — get up to speed with the New York singer-guitarist’s magnificent fourth full-length Shake The Sheets.
Continuing his apparent campaign to single-handedly raise the bar for indie-rock, Leo seamlessly and stylishly merges power-trio guitar-rock, pop, punk, ska, soul and reggae into a dynamic, electrifying hybrid on these 11 tracks. With his clanging guitar and high-register vocals, he often sounds like the love child of Joe Jackson, The Clash’s Mick Jones and The Jam’s Paul Weller, with a dash of Dexys on the side. Even better, he’s a guy who can namedrop Joe Strummer, soundcheck Smoky Robinson, bash Bush and decry the Iraq war — all to the sound of an infectious groove and a chorus that’ll stick in your head for days. If that ain’t great songwriting, it’ll sure do till some comes along.
