It was on a summer evening in Tenlytown in Washington D.C. that I discovered the musical brilliance of Ted Leo. I'd heard a few of his songs before his free set at the annual Fort Reno Concert Series, but after the first few cords of "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" I was truly converted. After a couple of highly touted releases, The Tyranny of Distance and Hearts of Oak, Leo and his band the Pharmacists, are back with the politically themed album, Shake the Sheets.Within the first few seconds of the album opener, "Me and Mia," Leo demonstrates why the music press loves him, and why music fans are quickly flocking to his unique sound. Leo writes punk-infused pop-rock songs, complete with heavenly singing and choral-inspired melodies. "Me and Mia" showcases Leo in his usual style that dominated his previous discs; much of the song seems to follow the same musical path as "Rude Boys," with Leo's fast-paced swoon slowly encased in danceable guitar licks.

"The One Who Got Us Out" leads Leo into relatively unfamiliar territory, with unusually fast paced instrumental arrangements more akin to those of traditional punk bands. While for some acts that kind of change might be a risky move, he pulls it off with cunning lyrics to match. In the jig-style song "Counting Down the Hours," the politics of the dot-com industries and social policies pop up. Leo slowly draws the melody from a soft guitar strum to the full-fledged dance-inspiring chorus.

"You can't escape the angels' share," proclaims Leo in the song bearing the same title. It seems that his words remain true, as the hip shaking politically-minded tune features Leo's signature high-strung vocals and jumpy guitars. His singing style is ever so present in the hard-hitting, bass fused song.

The lynchpin of Shake the Sheets is its longest song, "Little Dawn." Starting off with a fast-paced guitar riff, it slowly grows into an earth-shaking sonnet of pure enjoyment as Leo blissfully sings, "And if you ever tempt to just believe/And if you don't concern to just let it be/Stretch out your legs and just let it be/All night." The song best exemplifies the essence of Ted Leo's music: catchy, yet simple hooks, danceable instrumentals, poetic lyrics and the musical panache to bring it all together.

With Shake the Sheets, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are quickly proving themselves as traveling minstrels for the new musical generation. With a mix of punk and danceable indie pop, Leo blends the best of every musical world into great songs with a message. Although, like many other artists, Leo's album failed at stopping Bush from being elected president, it isn't a musical failure in the least. Leo provides us, time and time again, with memorable songs and inspiring lyrics. The battle for the election may be lost, but with Leo at the helm, the war isn't over. Leo may well be the musical figure to lead the next great social and political revolution in America-a modern day Bob Dylan for the indie music scene. At the very least, he provides us with songs to give us hope, and something to dance to.