Very good review of the new one from The Walkmen over at the AV Club...anyone got it? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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View Full Version : Very good review of the new one from The Walkmen over at the AV Club...anyone got it?



Rae
09-14-2010, 11:23 AM
link (http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-walkmen-lisbon,45096/)

Noel Murray: With each album, The Walkmen wring more and more out of less and less, stripping songs to a simple pounding beat, washes of trebly organ, short and shimmery guitar riffs, and Hamilton Leithauser’s braying voice. (And sometimes they leave one or more of those elements out, just for the challenge of it.) Yet The Walkmen’s sixth album, Lisbon, is the band’s most tuneful, varied, and expressive, though it’s as minimalist as ever. After the very good but doggedly mellow You & Me, Lisbon comes on more urgent and impassioned, starting with the bouncy “Juveniles,” on which Leithauser declares, “You’re one of us or one of them,” and continuing through 10 more songs that draw lines between rich and poor, winners and losers, leaders and followers. Informed in equal measure by reverb-drenched Sun Records singles, New Orleans brass, surf songs, and the Old World dignity of Portugal, Lisbon is nothing if not deliberate, as The Walkmen grab onto a musical or lyrical idea and bat it about, unwilling to let it escape. Their tenacity leads to evocative songs like “Blue As Your Blood,” in which Leithauser’s voice floats above a jumped-up rhythm, as though skirting the fray; “Victory,” which clicks up slowly like a rollercoaster and then rushes downward over the chorus; and “While I Shovel The Snow,” which is as still as a winter morning. Lisbon is like a treatise on the untapped power of the have-nots, delivered by the kind of people who could turn a raw potato, a cup of water, and a pinch of salt into a five-star dish.

Also an A for the new Superchunk! We live in trying times for my bank account.

~Rae

jonnyhambone
09-15-2010, 09:23 AM
Picked this up yesterday and got in a few spins last night...Really like it so far. I heard that they were channeling the Sun Studios sound and, subtly, it's in there - trebly guitar shimmers and doo-woppy harmonies. Some New Zealand jangle surf sounds. Plus it sounds just great - on vinyl at least. Been looking forward to hearing more all day. They gave me a 7" with it which I haven't played yet...
Was debating new Superchunk or Grinderman as my wallet said to & went with G-Man. Also excellent after a couple spins. Very rockin' and visceral but lots of subtlety and texture - electronic scrapings and loops just below the surface. Great production and an aggressive but still fun listen.

Good review here: http://nyr.kr/dmz7VP

3LB
09-15-2010, 09:39 AM
I heard a bit of it the other night. Seemed to be kinda trendy what with the reverb rince. Might be a grower, as it was catchy. Too much other stuff grabbing my attention right now though. I also heard another "new to me" group of similar ilk sans reverb and that was from a Chris Walla produced joint called The Thermals. More catchy stuff, but Didn't grab me

Rae
09-15-2010, 11:17 AM
Was debating new Superchunk or Grinderman as my wallet said to & went with G-Man. Also excellent after a couple spins. Very rockin' and visceral but lots of subtlety and texture - electronic scrapings and loops just below the surface. Great production and an aggressive but still fun listen.

Are you going to the Grinderman show at First Ave in November? I just picked up tickets.

~Rae

3LB
09-15-2010, 12:16 PM
Is that Grinderman all instrumental?