Shake the Sheets
Studio album by
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
ReleasedOctober 19, 2004
RecordedMay–June 2004
GenreIndie rock, punk rock
Length39:52
LabelLookout!
ProducerChris Shaw
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists chronology
Hearts of Oak
(2003)		 Shake the Sheets
(2004)		 Living with the Living
(2007)

Shake the Sheets is the fourth album by the Washington, D.C. rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2004 by Lookout! Records. It was the band's last album for the Lookout! label. A music video was filmed for the single "Me and Mia", a song about a friend of frontman Ted Leo who's battled an eating disorder.[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[4]
Blender[5]
The Boston Phoenix[6]
Entertainment WeeklyA[7]
NME7/10[8]
Pitchfork7.0/10[9]
Q[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Uncut[12]

Shake the Sheets received positive reviews from music critics. Nisha Gopalan from Entertainment Weekly wrote about the track listing, "Practically every song is a near-perfect amalgam of straight-up melodies and pogoing beats."[7] Tim Sendra of AllMusic praised the album's stripped-down approach to its messages and instrumentation and Leo for continuing to craft strong musicianship in his vocals and lyrics, concluding with, "Fiercely political without being to specific, filled with moments that will have you jumping out of your seat with excitement, Shake the Sheets is more proof that Ted Leo & the Pharmacists are the only band that matters, punk or otherwise."[3] Alec Hanley Bemis from Blender found criticism in Leo's fast-paced delivery causing his lyrics to feel hazy and lose energy after the first three tracks but praised his musical pastiche of '70s pub rock and '80s punk, along with "a half-dozen modern swing and shuffle rhythms", calling it "a pop-punk update on Springsteen".[5] Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone commended Leo for clearing up his themes and sound while remaining a vocal presence but found the attention to politics muted.[11] Pitchfork contributor Rob Mitchum saw the record moving away from Hearts of Oak's "more aggressively percussive approach," noting the scaling back of Leo's idiosyncratic musical repertoire, the presence of backing band the Pharmacists and the political aspects of the songs being hampered by "unrepresentative cliché-driven lyrical content," but said "while disappointing, Shake the Sheets remains better than most of its current brethren in indie cryostasis."[9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Ted Leo

No.TitleLength
1."Me and Mia"3:30
2."The Angels' Share"3:46
3."The One Who Got Us Out"3:04
4."Counting Down the Hours"3:08
5."Little Dawn"5:33
6."Heart Problems"3:13
7."Criminal Piece"2:42
8."Better Dead Than Lead"3:46
9."Shake the Sheets"4:43
10."Bleeding Powers"2:51
11."Walking to Do"3:36

References

  1. ↑ Mallernee, Ellen (September 5, 2007). "Ted Leo Addresses Misconceptions about "Mia and Me," Announces Bassist's Departure". Gibson.com.
  2. ↑ "Reviews for Shake The Sheets by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists". Metacritic. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. "Shake the Sheets – Ted Leo & the Pharmacists / Ted Leo". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". Alternative Press. No. 199. February 2005. p. 84.
  5. 1 2 Bemis, Alec Hanley (November 2004). "Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". Blender. No. 31. p. 137. Archived from the original on December 4, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ Stern, Jonathan (November 12–18, 2004). "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Gopalan, Nisha (November 5, 2004). "Shake The Sheets". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". NME. March 5, 2005. p. 51.
  9. 1 2 Mitchum, Rob (October 21, 2004). "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". Q. No. 224. March 2005. p. 100.
  11. 1 2 Caramanica, Jon (December 15, 2004). "Ted Leo: Shake the Sheets". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets". Uncut. No. 95. April 2005. p. 105.



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