I've been a fan of The Walkmen ever since the collapse of the late, great Jonathan Fire*Eater led to three of their members moving on and forming a new band.
Matt Barrick, Paul Maroon and Walter Martin joined up with Peter Bauer and singer Hamilton Leithauser to release Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone, Bows + Arrows, A Hundred Miles Off, You and Me and now, Lisbon.
I first saw The Walkmen in King Tuts, Glasgow, in 2002, supporting Tanya Donnelly (remember her?) nd the brilliant Mary Lorson of Madder Rose. They absolutely blew her out of the water, my abiding memory being of the towering Hamilton Leithauser hanging on to the rafters in an attempt to avoid banging his head on the roof. Since then, the band have just got better and better.
Best know for the pulsating, thrilling "The Rat", the band's palette has added a bit more colour over the years, leading to the swooning, swinging songs found on You and Me, and more of the same can be found on Lisbon.
Apparently taking its inspiration from Sun Records, Lisbon is an eminently sad sounding record, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Leithauser sounds as world-weary as ever on openeing track "Juveniles", his throaty, lived-in voice still calling to mind Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, but with that extra bit of fire.
You can understand the references to Sun in post-release interviews as the record sound fresh, crisp, immediate - like it was recorded in your own front room. The mariachi-style horns found on previous records return again on "Stranded", "Victory" reaches epic levels during the chorus, and the drums are always pounding and in-your-face.
Throughout, Leithauser's voice is a reassuring hug telling you that everything will be fine, contrasting with the music which at turns rattles and soothes, taking the listen on drunken, lovelorn carousing through the streets of New York.
In the words of Hamilton Leithauser, this is the only album of "power shuffles" you'll need all year.
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