East Coast indie rockers The Walkmen have been around for over a decade, which is quite an accomplishment in the modern music scene. And to top it off, they’re the model of consistency, releasing an album, like clockwork, every other year.
Their approach may slightly shift from record to record, from clangorous, angst-ridden wails (i.e. “Lost in Boston,” from 2006’s “A Hundred Miles Off”) to more meditative soundscapes (i.e. “Donde Esta La Playa” from 2008’s “You & Me”).
But the driving rhythms, the reverb-heavy guitar pluckings, and singer Hamilton Leithauser’s keening croon are the tent poles from which the band fly their flag.
I had the pleasure to hear some advance cuts of the band’s forthcoming album, “Heaven”, due out June 4, and it truly is something to look forward to. The title cut has quickly become a “Morning Becomes Eclectic” favorite, displaying all the characteristics of the classic Walkmen sound with maybe a touch more polish and shape than in the past. But Leithauser and bandmates are clearly onto something, appearing to kick off their second decade in fine fashion.
The Walkmen – Heaven (radio edit) by FatPossum
ERIC J. LAWRENCE