The title of The Walkmen’s fourth album is no accident. Not only do a majority of the album’s lyrics seem to analyze interpersonal experiences of the past but musically, according to Gigantic Music’s press release, it also honors some of the band’s biggest influences such as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Bob Marley. However, much more impressively, its sole existence this summer seems to have epitomized the way that each one of us can positively impact one another.
To explain: in honor of a seven month old battling AML leukemia, The Walkmen released their album several weeks early exclusively online for $5.00 as part of the “Download to Make A Difference” campaign via AmieStreet.com, with the proceeds of You & Me going to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Research Centers and The Joy Fund. And if you were out of the loop and missed its online debut and/or prefer the soon to be obsolete format of the compact disc, as does this reviewer (who actually misses vinyl), You and Me has just been released this week to add to your collection.
The album kicks off with lead singer Hamilton Leithauser announcing, “Well, it’s back to the battle today,” in You and Me’s audibly challenging opener “Donde Esta La Playa.” Setting the stage for the overwhelmingly live sounding and freewheeling styled disc, which is in stark contrast to its painstaking two year creative process, Leithauser shouts his words with enough gusto so that they feel as though they can be heard several cars behind you. While the predominantly stream-of-consciousness fashioned lyrics along with the vocal and musical experiments of the first track seem to test the waters—rocking back and forth from loud to soft like waves on the ocean—The Walkmen find their rhythm with the aptly named “On The Water.”
Although he still hollers like a musical version of Al Pacino, Leithauser reconciles his voice towards latter day Bob Dylan, playfully teasing listeners via a more driving beat underneath the lyrics ala Wilco and making great use of drummer Matt Barrick as well as the rest of the artists, including Paul Maroon, Walter Martin, and Peter Bauer. They follow up “Water” with one of the album’s stunners, “In the New Year,” which sounds like a party in itself complete with Martin’s organ that seems to take on a lightly Latin fiesta flavor as the piece grows in mini-movements, resulting in one awesomely infectious track, sure to get a lot of repeat plays from fans.
While musically “Seven Years of Holiday (for Stretch),” seems to continue on with the merry spirit, it’s deceptive as we’re caught up in lyrics chronicling life on the road, living in a suitcase, and the alternately thrilling and depressing contradictions it entails as they “ran around, banged our heads; never felt no pain.” Next they invite listeners to a Walkmen styled luau, with the SoCal sounds of “Postcards From Tiny Islands,” which carries on the musical theme introduced in the earliest tracks of You & Me but to better effect as it gets us rocking with more hard to decipher anguished (or is it joyful?) cries from our lead vocalist.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
Nice review.
Bows + Arrows is still one of my favourite albums of the last five-ish years and yet I haven't gotten around to hearing anything from this. Judging from your review, it sounds like a safe but honest bet. Might pick it up.
2 - Jen
Thanks, Jordan! Good call. I haven't heard Bows + Arrows for awhile but after reviewing this one, I feel the urge to go back and listen again to the others. If interested in the new disc, I believe you can also stream some of it both on the AmieStreet.com site as well as the band's MySpace page. Enjoy!