Made In America - THE BOTH "The Both" (2014)

Last year, while touring together as solo artists, Ted Leo and Aimee Mann formed a collaborative friendship born out of mutual admiration that led to the creation of The Both. Leo, an indie-punk stalwart, is probably best known for is work with The Pharmacists and Chisel, while Mann has had a prolific and critically acclaimed solo career since the early 90's after leaving Til Tuesday.

Stylistically, there's a good amount of distance on the musical spectrum between Leo's songwriting, which is often politically charged and groove-laden punk, and Mann's, which falls more on the singer-songwriter side. As a side note, Mann did get her start as a founding member of the Boston punk band The Young Snakes.

 

On Milwaukee, the first single off of their self-titled debut record which is due out April 15th on Mann's own Super Ego Records label, the Leo/Mann musical integration is wonderfully seamless. With Leo on guitar and Mann on bass, the two share songwriting and vocal duties. Milwaukee is hook-heavy rock reminiscent of 70's era Thin Lizzy. The song features Leo's highly underrated guitar playing and is nicely balanced by Mann's signature subdued vocals. April 15th cannot get here soon enough.