Recording information: National Recording, Washington DC (02/17/2001-03/03/2001).

Photographers: Ted Leo; Amy Farina.

While Ted Leo's hardcore credentials (headman of Chisel, etc.) were impeccable by the time he set out to lead a band of Pharmacists in the early-`00s, his new path, as charted on 2001 debut THE TYRANNY OF DISTANCE, owed more debt to introspective neurotics Joe Jackson and breezy power pop than to straight-edge fire. The almost shyly building opener "Biomusicology" mixes offbeat indie-rock rhythms with earnest `70s singer-songwriter melody and subtle classical cues; it's a pitch-perfect introduction to where Leo is going and, by the time he channels Springsteen on "Dial Up," the die is cast on a refreshing opening salvo.