By Marissa Mooney |Staff Writer|
The Walkmen aren’t new to the music scene, but their sixth album Heaven creates a sonic state of nirvana with a vintage edge.
The indie rock band from New York City and Philadelphia has created a strong song with a pure and honest rock ‘n’ roll vibe that has lasted for over a decade.
The band created the image of rock ‘n’ roll with powerful vocals and an upright piano.
The lead singer, Hamilton Leithauser, may not be as young as he used to be, but his youth shines through his vocals and it isn’t stopping him from creating kickass music with his band.
Formed in 2000, it was their second album “Bows + Arrows,” that received positive responses and praise. The band was featured in an episode of the popular Fox series “The O.C.”
“Heaven” is a highly anticipated album and the band shared their excitement on their blog. “Hi everyone. Our album is finally done and we’re thrilled with it. We can’t wait to get it out there,” stated the band.
At first glance, when running through the track list of the album, it is easy to spot a theme of love and remorse. It is almost black and white with a few gray areas.
The songs change from upbeat to slow rock anthems with a range of vocals. Leithauser sings strong, melodic notes that complements the guitar, the steady tambourine and drums to the opening song “We Can’t Be Beat.”
The tracks “Heartbreaker” and “Witch” are filled with smooth vocals beneath a hidden vendetta, which almost provokes a comparison to The Black Keys.
“Southern Heart,” the fifth track following “Witch,” slows down the tempo and is more of a vintage, quiet and very vocal song. It is a nice break from the loud drums. The guitar chimes in quietly and transitions smoothly into the next track, “Line by Line.”
“[Naming the album Heaven] just felt right,” stated Leithauser in L Magazine. “When you’re working on the record, you’re just concentrating song by song, really, and one of the things you’re thinking about the most is trying to make the songs different from each other because you want to be interested in each one. But then when you’re finished, you’ve got this whole thing, and you’ve whittled it down to whatever, 12 or 13 songs, and you start looking at it, like, ‘What the hell do we have here?’”
The lush sound of this album creates a nostalgic reminder of bands like The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes and The Cure.
The Walkmen stand on their own two feet and deliver an album worth laying out on a blanket in the park or playing on an old turntable. The vocals are definitely more powerful this time around, which is a huge upside of this album.
The title track, “Heaven,” is reminiscent of a Cure song with its upbeat tempo. It is definitely the cherry on top of the album’s sundae.
You can listen and pre-order Heaven at thewalkmen.com or visit their blog at thewalkmenmusic.blogspot.com.
Photos Courtesy of The Walkmen