It's funny how bands can move in and out of the buzz spotlight so quickly. The release of the Walkmen's new album, You & Me, seemed to generate less attention than one might expect for a band with a string of successful albums behind them. Perhaps the obscure curiosity of covering Harry Nilsson's entire Pussy Cats album for a 2006 release, following the somewhat mixed feeling of their solid if unspectacular A Hundred Miles Off made people feel a little more reserved for You & Me. Hopefully, the lack of fanfare won't prevent a lot of people from hearing the album, which reestablishes the Walkmen as one of the most consistent rock bands on the independent circuit.
The Walken's first two albums, Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone and the superb Bows + Arrows, were known for their anthemic tracks, such as "Wake Up" and especially "The Rat." Yet many of the other tracks on those albums featured another side of the band: relaxed, reflective . . . and perhaps a bit drunk. It did often seem that if part of the Walkmen's albums served as the soundtrack to a great party or night out at the bar, then the rest of the album, songs such as "Hang On Siobhan" and "138th Street" was the 4 a.m. drunken comedown, not sad or angry but a bit of melancholy mixed with some good cheer. You & Me takes the slower ballads of the Walkmen and makes them the focal point; only these songs are more sad and wistful. There's nothing as upbeat on You & Me as Bow + Arrows's "Little House of Savages." While the generally slower feel of You & Me may not appeal to everyone, the album shows the band's songwriting, always a strength, at an even more accomplished level.
"Dónde está la Playa" starts things off in a slightly Spanish flamenco feel as Hamilton Leithauser sings, "There is still sand in my suitcase. There is still salt in my teeth." Leithauser has always been an underrated lyricist, but he has some wonderful lines on You & Me. In the gorgeous "If Only It Were True," he ends the album with the line, "So don't come calling for me, ’cause, baby, my dream ain't through. And when I've had enough, then I'll die in dreams of you." Leithauser has also tempered some of the "How does it faaaheeel?" Dylan-esque mannerism that crept up on A Hundred Miles Off. Instead, he actually channels some of Dylan's complex vocal phrasing and adept observations.
It's not just Leithauser, however, who shines on You & Me. The entire band really plays wonderfully as an ensemble, allowing each member to get his moment. The sound of Paul Maroon's guitars is exquisite through the album, moving from low jazzy bass notes to ringing chords. Matt Barrick, who can thrash the drums with the best of them (few punk drummers could keep up with "Tenleytown" from the last album), plays understated here, using various percussion and accent notes to serve the songs (such as on "Postcards From Tiny Islands") rather than go off.
Perhaps the best things about You & Me is that there is a consistent feel and tone through the album. Bands seem to less frequently release albums with tracks of consistent quality, but that's very true of You & Me. Though the entirety of the album moves past seamlessly, many of the songs individually sound quite different from each other. "Seven Years of Holidays" is rather sunny but leaves a note of fatigue. "Canadian Girl" plays like a contemporary version of a 1950s big band waltz. "On The Water," with its somber minor key bassline, is the best of many impressive songs. It may not have the same giant chorus as the Walkmen's signature tune, "The Rat," but it packs an equally powerful punch.
Some of You & Me was recorded in the same studio in Oxford, Mississippi as Bows + Arrows, and I would suggest that the Walkmen book time there now for their next album since there must be something about the studio that brings out the best in the band. With so many bands like White Rabbits emerging who are clearly influenced by the Walkmen's first couple of albums (since the Walkmen have invited White Rabbits to open shows for them, it doesn't seem that they mind), it is satisfying to see the band evolve their sound into new territories. You & Me still clearly sounds like a Walkmen album, but it doesn't sound like any other Walkmen album. Apart from maturing in their songcraft, the victory comes in that You & Me is a vastly rewarding listen, matching the highpoints in the Walkmen's catalog. |