You & Me by The Walkmen

You & Me by The Walkmen has been called something of a return to form by The Onion and Pitchforkmedia (the only reviews I regularly read). This is kind of ridiculous when you consider that this is only the band's 4th album in less than ten years of existence. Sure, One Hundred Miles Off failed to capture the same magic that made Bows and Arrows such an amazing album, but OHMO certainly wasn't a bad album, and it's not like lead singer Hamilton Leithauser started to rap or anything.

All that being said, One Hundred Miles Off was a bit of a disappointment. Not because there were any bad songs on the album (although a part of me kind of hates "Tenley Town"), but because in an attempt to duplicate Bows and Arrows, the album fell horribly short. And how could it have done anything else? Bows and Arrows featured three of the strongest and most intense rock songs of the past decade ("The Rat", "Little House of Savages" and "Thinking of a Dream I Had"). Whenever One Hundred Miles Off tried to duplicate the strength of these songs, it fell far short by comparison. Rather One Hundred Miles Off succeeded best when the band decided to relax and dial down the intensity as they did on their opening and closing tracks "Louisiana" and "Another One Goes By".

So what about the new one? I'm three paragraphs into this review and I haven't said anything. What I was getting at is that here The Walkmen have figured out that they aren't going to be able to repeat their strongest moments. Instead, they try to move their sound forward with varying degrees of success. The relaxed tone (and length) of this album invites the most comparison with their debut album Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, but while both albums are among The Walkmen's quietest work, You & Me occasionally still soars the same emotional heights of Bows and Arrows.

Last fall I saw The Walkmen perform about half of the songs on this album. Two songs stuck out at the show and also stand out on the album: "In the New Year" and "New Country". The first song is driven by an organ melody that when combined with Hamilton Leithauser's vocals creates one of the most memorable tunes of their career. While it never matches the intensity of "The Rat" or "Thinking of a Dream I Had", it still packs a strong punch. It succeeds by not trying to duplicate the relentless energy of those earlier songs. "In the New Year" frequently calms/quiets down before picking itself back up again.

"New Country" represents something new in my enjoyment of The Walkmen: a quiet (the song features only Paul Maroon's stellar guitarwork and Hamilton Leithauser's singing) song that stands out above all of the rock songs. I remember seeing that The Walkmen not only opened for The Pogues in concert but also have covered "The Auld Triangle" in concert. You can hear the influence in "New Country" which sounds more like a folk song played with electric guitar than a typical Walkmen song. Other quiet moments on the album are quite memorable, specifically "Red Moon" and the closing "If Only it Were True".

And the rest of the album? Some songs are truly forgettable, a problem I haven't had with other Walkmen albums. But then again, a lot of the melodies on this album stay in my head far longer than I would ever have expected. Even if they aren't instantly memorable, songs like "The Blue Route" and "Long Time Ahead of Us" sound and feel almost instantly familiar.

This album won't win The Walkmen any new fans from their detractors, but those of us who always find something to enjoy in ther unique sound will find plenty to enjoy. Four albums into their career, they are still playing with the same vintage equipment, making the same sounds. For me, it still hasn't gotten old, and it still offers promise for the future.