Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus was exactly what one might a band named after Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy to be: Noisy but intellectual, equally prone to sonic outbursts and literary references. Though the band had more than two dozen members since forming in 2005, its mastermind was always singer/guitarist singer/guitarist Patrick Stickles, who formed the band in Glen Rock, New Jersey. Equally inspired by the theatrical concepts of Neutral Milk Hotel and the noise squalls of Sonic Youth, the band debuted with The Airing of Grievances in 2008. Though the songs included spoken extracts from their namesake Shakespeare play and Camus' The Stranger the album title was closer to home, referencing the "Festivus" episode of "Seinfeld" (NBC 1989-1998). Favorable reviews and a tour with fellow collegiate faves Ted Leo and Lucero helped establish the band, and 2010 brought their first concept album: The Monitor, loosely based on a Civil War naval battle. Here the songs took on a more epic sweep (the longest was 14 minutes) and the first album's guitar noise had grown into a sweeping orchestral noise. 2012's Local Business brought more critical raves including a listing in Rolling Stone's top 50 of the year. But their most ambitious work came on the fourth album, The Most Lamentable Tragedy, whose abstract storyline was based on Stickles' own experiences with manic depression. Structured as a four-act, 92-minute rock opera, the music took in everything from piano ballads to Springsteen homages to punk outbusts, along with an acapella rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." The album was the first without guitarist Liam Betson, who began a solo career as Liam the Younger. During July 2015 the band celebrated Stickles' 30th birthday by playing five nights at Shea Stadium-not the Mets' defunct ballpark but a Brooklyn alternative music space, where Stickles had worked as a ticket-taker and where they recorded a loose live album Stadium Rock. After an extended break, Titus Andronicus returned in 2018 with a notably different album, A Productive Cough. Here the punk elements were toned down in favor of a raucous acoustic sound. One of the more surprising tracks, "(I'm) Like a Rolling Stone," was a first-person rewrite of the Bob Dylan classic, credited to both Dylan and Stickles.