All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Splendid

A strong contender for album of the year, Shaking the Sheets is a masterpiece of fucked-up mod pop: political but not preachy, insistent yet never twitchy, respectful but never blatant.

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100

Entertainment Weekly

Practically every song is a near-perfect amalgam of straight-up melodies and pogoing beats. [5 Nov 2004, p.80]

100

Tiny Mix Tapes

Crackles with sparkling guitar work and [is] simply a great, fun, rock n' roll album.

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PopMatters

If Shake the Sheets lacks the subtle, nuanced excursions of its predecessor, it's redeemed by an urgent, unrelenting focus.

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ShakingThrough.net

Easily Leo's best album since The Tyranny of Distance.

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Filter

Has everything we've come to expect from Leo: it's clever, earnest, wry and literate, all delivered with his trademark falsetto flourishes. [#13, p.100]

Trouser Press

Leo's singing (showing a few traces of a soul side) has never been more confident or convincing.

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Billboard

Leo manages to weave his messages into some of the tightest, most energetic rock you're likely to hear this year.

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All Music Guide

Using only guitars and drums, the Pharmacists whip up a powerful mix of wild abandon and subtlety that is a perfect backing for Leo's vocal dexterity and clanging guitar heroics.

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Blender

Much of [Sheets] sounds like a pop-punk update on Springsteen. [Nov 2004, p.137]

Alternative Press

Arguably the best record of Leo's career. [Feb 2005, p.84]

Under The Radar

Leo has proven himself a songwriter of intricacy and experiment, but what he's created with Shake the Sheets are not just songs. They are mantras. [#8, p.110]

Launch.com

An album that sounds vital and immediate.

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Paste Magazine

Leo’s vision has crystallized. The songs are shorter and tighter than anything he’s seared onto tape, and his complex melodic phrasing arrives pitch perfect.

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Stylus Magazine

Leo proves himself emotionally enervating throughout, so it’s really a shame that Shake the Sheets isn’t half so sonically invigorating.

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Pitchfork

The most Chisel-sounding record he's released as a solo artist, returning to stripped-down arrangements and, on "The Angel's Share" and "Little Dawn", his fascination with repetition.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Leo exploits rock dynamics with the timing of a veteran stand-up comic. He bounces vocals across half-riffs, drops the drums in and out, and invariably holds back a little for the big finish.

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New Musical Express

Firecracker mod-punk and allegorical political cut-and-thrust. [5 Mar 2005, p.51]

Neumu.net

The songs on his latest, often about political ambivalence and soul-searching alienation, are still catchy as V.D. But they lack the fiery complexity of past efforts.

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cokemachineglow

It's the first truly inessential album he's made.

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Delusions of Adequacy

The songs themselves aren’t as outstanding as they could be, and it sure doesn’t help that the production choices give them less of the overwhelming energy that the Pharmacists are known for.

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Rolling Stone

Far crisper and way less jagged than his last two albums. [30 Dec 2004, p.160]

Q Magazine

Without enough killer hooks Leo seems unlikely to claw his way much beyond cult attraction. [Mar 2005, p.100]

Uncut

Power pop without the escapism. [Apr 2005, p.105]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Michael S gave it a10:
9.6 I cannot wait for his next one.

King of the cosmos gave it a9:
Great stuff. He is a lyrical guy with a cause. I saw him in concert and i was blown by the energy he puts in his work. great guitar player and great lyricist/singer....i have to get his older stuff now!

Leland R gave it a10:
Great album, some amazing stuff on here

Douglas V gave it a10:
Oh Geez Heard something about this guy. Listened to the older albums. It took this one for me to get it. It could be that he nailed it (still my opinion), but his older stuff sounds better after listening to this. Best little known album of the last year or so?

mr butterworth gave it a10:
amazing

Hailie S gave it a10:
I absoluetely love this cd. I saw Ted Leo in Concert and he absolutely rocked it. Everyone I saw there was jumping, singing, and smiling. Ted Leo Rocks!

Mike E gave it a10:
To me everything Ted Leo produces is essential. Just another great album. Probably my favorite of 2004.

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Shake The Sheets

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