The Both
The Both
(Super Ego)
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The Both is a collaborative album made in indie-rock heaven. With his band The Pharmacists, Ted Leo has crafted a solid career as a colourful idiosyncratic rocker. Meanwhile, Aimee Mann, arguably the more high-profile of the two, continues to release consistent albums pairing elegant melodies with cutting lyrics. Together as The Both, they pull off an album that may lack the weight of their respective solo releases but nonetheless is a fine, breezy affair. Fans of both artists could tell who was driving certain compositions. Although Mann vocally leads Milwaukee, the gnarly opening riffs have Leo's signature all over. The rollicking Volunteers of America also has Leo's heavy touch courtesy of his punchy vocals. Mann balances the energy with some exquisite melancholy. In the slow rumbling You Can't Help Me Now, the tension is represented in the lyrics. The duo vocally come together in the jaunty piano-led The Inevitable Shove; each singer trades a verse before linking up for a knockout chorus. The Both may not push the singers to quit their solo careers, but it's a fine illustration of their talents.