Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

“Pop punk” is an apt tag for what Ted Leo does with his band, the Pharmacists. He infuses punk songs with chunky hooks and choruses. Unfortunately, “pop-punk” calls to mind bratty, throwaway Warped Tour acts — and Ted Leo ain’t Yellowcard. He’s a modern keeper of the original punk flame: a fiery, passionate, political voice with Fugazi-level punk ethics. At 40 years old and with six full-lengths, Leo is officially a veteran, but his latest, The Brutalist Bricks, possesses the vigor and hunger of a debut. Leo yelps earnestly about social justice over jangly guitars and breakneck drums, skipping the stuffy preaching in favor of old-fashioned fun. He may never get a medal from the government, but he deserves one.