A collation and culmination of their finest work in years.
Let’s play a little word association. "The Walkmen"… "The Rat". It’s an immediate response. A reflex. A justifiably clichéd answer eternally associated with the band despite the fact they’re now six albums and a decade in. It’s still, undeniably, the hallmark, and often the brooding benchmark, The Walkmen are held against.
So, the resonant post-punk power of The Rat might will always hold a sentimental sway – from the black and white claustrophobia of the video to Hamilton Leithauser’s embittered voice, seething and beseeching some unknown soul – but The Walkmen have been steadfast in their move from the dark, driven post-punk of the Bows + Arrows era.
Whereas 2006’s A Hundred Miles Off was a step too far, a decisive attempt to distance themselves from their monochrome past, what we heard on 2008’s You & Me was altogether more promising. Hinged on a slight return to their more miserable past without disregarding the positive steps they’d taken to boldly move forward, it arguably set the foundation for the rising majesty of Lisbon.
Lees de rest van deze review op BBC CD recensies (Engels)
Bron: BBC Music