Titus Andronicus (band)

Titus Andronicus

Performing in 2008
Background information
Origin Glen Rock, New Jersey, United States
Genres
Years active 2005–present
Labels Merge (present)
XL
Troubleman Unlimited
Associated acts
Website www.titusandronicus.net
Members Patrick Stickles
Liam Betson
R.J. Gordon
Chris Wilson

Titus Andronicus is an American punk/indie rock band formed in Glen Rock, New Jersey in 2005.[2] The band is composed of singer/lyricist/guitarist Patrick Stickles, guitarist Liam Betson, bassist R.J. Gordon, and drummer Chris Wilson. The group takes its name from the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, and has cited musical and stylistic influences such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Pulp.[3]

Career

Titus Andronicus's first album, The Airing of Grievances, was released in April 2008 and was described as the sound of a "violent, overblown and irreverent" indie band in a positive review in Pitchfork.[4] The band went on extensive tours of North America and Europe to promote the album through 2009, including a "Bring On The Dudes Tour" with friends The So So Glos and tours opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Lucero.[5]

On March 9, 2010 the band released their sophomore album, The Monitor, through XL Recordings. A sprawling concept album loosely based on themes relating to the American Civil War, it was critically well received,[6] and debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[7] That month, Rolling Stone named the band one of the seven best new bands of 2010.[8] The band continued their extensive touring that included a tour of record stores, tours opening for The Pogues, Bright Eyes, and Okkervil River, plus appearances at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Lollapalooza, and Roskilde Festival.[5] Titus Andronicus recorded a version of Nirvana's "Breed" for the tribute album Newermind at this time as well.

Their third album, Local Business, was released on October 23, 2012. A more stripped down record, Local Business was recorded live in the studio with almost no overdubs, creating an album that was "plug-in-and-play" ready, helping the band sound as close as possible to the album when playing live.[9][10] It was listed at #38 on Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2012,[11] reached #105 on the Billboard Top 200 chart,[12] and gained positive reviews as well as a 7.0 from Pitchfork.[9] Touring for the album included an expansive headlining tour with opener Ceremony, a co-headlining trek of the United Kingdom with Fucked Up, and another tour with The So So Glos dubbed the "Bring Back The Dudes Tour."[5]

The band released their fourth album, The Most Lamentable Tragedy, on July 28, 2015 via Merge Records. Taking the form of a 93-minute, 29-song, five-act rock opera (including covers of Daniel Johnston and The Pogues),[13] Stickles described the record as a "complicated metaphor about manic depression, melding elements of philosophy, psychology, and science fiction through the plight of one troubled protagonist’s inner demons." The band also disclosed a film element to the album and thus far released a 15 minute music video covering Act Two.[14] TMLT was released to positive reviews,[15] and the group announced a "TMLT Around The World Tour" covering the United States and Europe.

Titus Andronicus has performed live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon[16] and Last Call with Carson Daly[17] twice. Their song "Titus Andronicus" was used in an episode of the TV show "Elementary" entitled "The Adventure of the Nutmeg Concoction".[18] Their song "Titus Andronicus Forever" was featured in the TV show Bored to Death[19] and the film Premium Rush.[20]

Band members

Current members
Former members

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album details Peak chart positions
Billboard 200[21] U.S. Heat[21] U.S. Rock[21] U.S. Alt[21] U.S. Indie[21] U.S. Taste[21]
2008 The Airing of Grievances - - - - - -
2010 The Monitor - 7 - - 28 -
2012 Local Business 105 3 35 20 21 10
2015 The Most Lamentable Tragedy
  • Released: July 28, 2015
  • Labels: Merge
 164 1 18 14 11 7
Singles, EPs, and mixtapes

References

  1. ↑ "Sound Opinions Show". KWBU-FM. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  2. ↑ Margaret Reges. "Titus Andronicus | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  3. ↑ Lindsay, Cam. "Titus Andronicus • Interviews". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  4. ↑ "Titus Andronicus: The Airing of Grievances | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2008-04-25. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  5. 1 2 3 "Titus Andronicus Tour Dates and Concerts —". Last.fm. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  6. ↑ "Reviews for The Monitor by Titus Andronicus". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  7. ↑ "Heatseeking Albums: week of March 27, 2012". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  8. ↑ Rolling Stone (2010-03-17). "Best New Bands of 2010: Free Energy, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Five More | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  9. 1 2 Cohen, Ian. "Titus Andronicus Local Business". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "LOCAL BUSINESS: THE NEW TITUS ANDRONICUS LP". Titus Andronicus. XL Recordings. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2012: Titus Andronicus - Local Business". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  12. ↑ Margaret Reges. "Titus Andronicus | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  13. ↑ "Titus Andronicus Announce New Album The Most Lamentable Tragedy, Share "Dimed Out" Lyric Video | News". Pitchfork. 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  14. ↑ Roffman, Michael (3 September 2013). "Titus Andronicus' new album will be a 30-track rock opera about manic depression". Encyclopedia of Things. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "Reviews for The Most Lamentable Tragedy by Titus Andronicus". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  16. ↑ "Watch: Titus Andronicus Crash "Fallon" | News". Pitchfork. 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  17. ↑ "Titus Andronicus – "In A Big City" + "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" 12/3 Last Call". The Audio Perv. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  18. ↑ "The song in this scene is "Titus Andronicus" by a band of the same name.". Elementary Writers Twitter account. Dec 11, 2014. Retrieved Dec 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "14: The Case of the Grievous Clerical Error!". Hbo.com. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  20. ↑ "Titus Andronicus (II)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Titus Andronicus". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
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