The Walkmen - Lisbon

Born in the post-punk, new wave era of the 2000’s The Walkmen were an outstanding indie rock band. I was lucky enough to be able to see them live during their second to last tour when they performed with Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. It was a mind-blowingly spectacular show, one of the best I have ever seen, I still remember it vividly. 

 Unfortunately I discovered The Walkmen late in their career just one year before they would release my favorite album of theirs though Heaven is a close second. During the decade of time during which they were together they somehow managed to be consistently better with each album. As I made my way through their discography each album hit harder and harder. They are the musical embodiment of the saying less is more as they came to perfect the art of being able to express so much while utilizing so little. Perhaps this album impressed me even more because back in 2010 when it was released it felt so different from just about everything else that I was listening to. Defying trends of the time this record seemed so simple. They built each track with basically nothing but a simple beat, guitar riffs that seemed almost fleeting, a rush of an organ and of course Leithauser’s voice; it's just full of grief and brilliantly tumultuous. Some tracks even remove one of these aforementioned elements and yet nothing seems lost. 

Angela Surf City

It seems I am drawn to songs about relationships on the downward trend as seems to be the case with this song. In fact the lyrics alone don’t offer much hope at all but the way the song is delivered seems to. It talks of a relationship were communication isn’t the best and things are feeling one sided for him; he has been hit with the all too familiar sting of unrequited love. He is sitting somewhere alone and pondering how he might salvage his relationship, deciding if it is worth giving things one more go. Thanks to Leithauser’s voice by the end of the track I want to believe that things will turn around and get better in the relationship with Angela.

“I used to see the sights
Now I dream of the time
I was holding onto you
For a lack of anything to do

Still the wake has rolled away
Still your name rings true
Mine is yours, yours is yours
Life goes on, life goes on all around you…

Back to school, back to work
Can this go on forever?
Angela, what's the difference?
Life goes on all around you”

Blue as Your Blood

I love the beautifully vintage orchestral sound of this track. This track feels tragic like a lament “a sad song for you and me” I have always thought that is was a reflection on a relationship that is no more and that perhaps ended suddenly of course the lines “blue as your blood” and “I could dream of you forever” could mean many things I have always gotten the impression that his love is gone because she has died and now he stares at the skies day dreaming of the life he once had with her. Despite the somber tone of the lyrics the track itself still manages to feel oddly triumphant. 

“I sit alone and I wonder why
Oh hazy, lazy days
I could dream of you forever
Under the shade of a Juniper tree
I sing a sad song of you and me…

Life rolled us over like a town car
Bruised up and busted to the ground…

The sky above, the sky above
Is blue as your blood
In a hazy, lazy daydream”

Woe Is Me

I love the narrative of this track and the way it is arranged. Each element of the song has its own wonderful time to shine. The point from the bridge until the end of the track really hits home each and every time I listen. It contains themes and elements that really drive the entire album. This is a hard one for me to sum up as it is one of those rare cases for me where the music in a track moves me slightly more than the lyrics themselves. Not that there isn’t much to appreciate when it comes to the lyrics because there definitely is.

“There's a girl that you should know
She was mine not so long ago
Had my number and we fell in love
She put me under and I got lost…

Now the street light, bright and pale
As we sip our ginger ale
I kiss you by the blinking sign
Don't get heavy, let's be light”

This whole album deserves a listen but this song even more than the others has to be experienced in order to truly appreciate its beauty.

Click to give the album a listen