The Tyranny of Distance is the second album by American rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, released in 2001 by Lookout! Records. It was the group's first album as a full band, as their previous album tej leo(?), Rx / pharmacists had been a solo effort by singer/guitarist Ted Leo. The album's title comes from a lyric in the Split Enz song "Six Months in a Leaky Boat", which the band later covered twice: first as a Leo solo on the EP Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead in 2003, and again as a full band on 2005's Sharkbite Sessions.

Critical reception

Nate Cavalieri of AllMusic said about the record overall, "By fusing the punk and retro-pop elements of his musical history with a noisy affection for '60s blues-rock formulas, The Tyranny of Distance showcases some of Leo's best songwriting to date. Laden with falsetto hooks and overtly romantic observations of the world, he is able to control combinations of aggression and sentiment and focus them into highly melodic expressions of pure emotion."

Track listing

  1. "Biomusicology" – 4:18
  2. "Parallel or Together?" – 4:56
  3. "Under the Hedge" – 3:20
  4. "Dial Up" – 4:04
  5. "Timorous Me" – 4:34
  6. "Stove by a Whale" – 7:59
  7. "The Great Communicator" – 3:16
  8. "Squeaky Fingers" – 3:37
  9. "M¥ Vien iLin" – 2:43
  10. "The Gold Finch and the Red Oak Tree" – 1:54
  11. "St. John the Divine" – 6:39
  12. "You Could Die (Or This Might End)" – 1:30

References