video + mp3s: The Walkmen's impeccable TAS sessions

fucking grand.









read the interview from the The Alternate Side session HERE

angela surf city [mp3]
juveniles [mp3]
woe is me [mp3]
torch song [mp3]

record review: The Walkmen - Lisbon

Lisbon is like Christmas. Somehow, a toned down album is always expected from any band’s repertoire but there are little surprises along the way that make it memorable.

The Walkmen have crafted the most brilliant ode to times past, to the beautiful meeting points of our past and future selves. The seasawing guitars in “Angela Surf City” allow all of the attention to be focused on Matt Barrick’s impeccable drumming. In a way, the song is an analogy for the record, which really accentuates the individual strengths of each band member, down to Hamilton Leithauser’s vigourous croon which grapples with trials of love, loss and hope. Lead single “Stranded” layers a beautiful horn section over a strained declaration of “oh I’m stranded”, culminating in a flourish worthy of a military send off. The double whammy of “All My Great Designs” and “Woe is Me” nods towards the mellow direction which Cold War Kids embarked upon on Loyalty to Loyalty. Recorded in five days, Lisbon is imperative in the best sense of the word, as each of its tracks sounds organic and free flowing. This is a record to cherish, to mull over, to keep as a companion for dreary days beside the fire.

4.5/5

Lisbon drops on September 14th, make sure you pick it up

The Walkmen are streaming Lisbon on NPR (+ tour dates)

I've been listening to this phenomenal album non-stop for the last couple of days in lurid attempt of writing a worthy review.

still, nothing.

I can already tell you that Lisbon will be horribly underrated this year. stream it HERE

9/8: The Showbox w/ Helio Sequence, Seattle, WA
9/9: Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC w/ The National
9/10: Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC w/The National
9/11: WOW Hall w/ Helio Sequence, Eugene, OR
9/12: Music Fest NW, Portland, OR
9/14: The Fillmore w/ Japandroids, San Francisco, CA
9/15: The Music Box w/ Japandroids, Los Angeles, CA
9/17: Clubhouse Music Venue w/ Japandroids, Tempe, AZ
9/18: Belly Up Tavern w/ Japandroids, Solana Beach, CA
9/19: Neon Reverb Festival at Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
9/25: Nor'easter Festival, Lincoln, NH
10/07: Royale Night Club w/ AA Bondy, Boston, MA
10/08: Caberet Jouste Pour Rire w/AA Bondy, Montreal, Quebec
10/09: The Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ AA Bondy, Toronto, ONT
10/10: Magic Stick w/ AA Bondy, Detroit, MI
10/12: The Vogue w/ AA Bondy, Indianapolis, IN
10/13: Metro w/ Japandroids, Chicago, IL
10/14: Barrymore Theatre w/ Japandroids, Madison, WI
10/15: Cabooze w/ Japandroids, Minneapolis, MN
10/16: The Waiting Room w/ Japandroids, Omaha, NE
10/17: Fox Theatre Cafe w/ Japandroids, Boulder, CO
10/19: The Bottleneck w/ Japandroids, Lawrence, KS
10/20: Off Broadway w/ Japandroids, St. Louis, MO
10/21: Zanzabar w/ Japandroids, Louisville, KY
10/22: Mr. Smalls Theatre w/ Japandroids, Pittsburgh, PA
10/23: The Trocadero w/ Japandroids, Philadelphia, PA
10/28: 02 Academy, Glasgow, UK w/ The Black Keys
10/30: 02 Academy, Newcastle, UK w/ The Black Keys
10/31: 02 Academy, Leeds, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/2: 02 Academy, Brixton, London, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/4: Rock City, Nottingham, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/6: 02 Academy, Liverpool, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/7: 02 Academy, Bournemouth, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/9: Le Bataclan, Paris, France w/ The Black Keys
11/11: BeCool, Barcelona, Spain
11/12: Ramdall, Madrid, Spain
11/14: Coliseu dos Recreios, Lisbon, Portugal
11/15: Tripod, Dublin, Ireland
11/16: Roisin Dubh, Galway, Ireland
11/18: Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
11/19: Flesh'Or, Paris, France
11/20: Crossing Border Festival, The Hague, Netherlands
11/22: Tivoli, Utrecht, Netherlands
11/22: Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Walkmen - Woe is Me [mp3]

The Walkmen announce new album, tour, free single

The Walkmen - Stranded [mp3]
from Lisbon (out on Sept 14th in the US on Fat Possum Records and on Oct 11th in the UK on Bella Union Records)

it kind of sounds like an ol' time band tribute to a military officer. really really uncharacteristic of the NY band, but a solid track nonetheless

DATES:
7/17: XPN Music Festival, Philadelphia, PA
7/31: Osheaga Festival, Montreal
8/6: Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago, Illinois
8/6: Official Lollapalooza After Party w/ Warpaint, Double Door, Chicago, Illinois (Sold Out)
8/12: Governors Island, New York, NY w/ Grizzly Bear
8/25: Islington Academy, London, UK
8/27: Leeds Festival, Leeds, England
8/28: Reading Festival, Reading, England
9/8: The Showbox w/ Helio Sequence, Seattle, WA
9/9: Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC w/ The National
9/10: Malkin Bowl, Vancouver, BC w/The National
9/11: WOW Hall w/ Helio Sequence, Eugene, OR
9/12: Music Fest NW, Portland, OR
9/14: The Fillmore w/ Japandroids, San Francisco, CA
9/15: The Music Box w/ Japandroids, Los Angeles, CA
9/17: Clubhouse Music Venue w/ Japandroids, Tempe, AZ
9/18: Belly Up Tavern w/ Japandroids, Solana Beach, CA
9/19: Neon Reverb Festival at Beauty Bar, Las Vegas, NV
9/25: Nor'easter Festival, Lincoln, NH
10/07: Royale Night Club w/ AA Bondy, Boston, MA
10/09: The Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ AA Bondy, Toronto, ONT
10/10: Magic Stick w/ AA Bondy, Detroit, MI
10/12: The Vogue w/ AA Bondy, Indianapolis, IN
10/14: Barrymore Theatre w/ Japandroids, Madison, WI
10/15: Cabooze w/ Japandroids, Minneapolis, MN
10/16: The Waiting Room w/ Japandroids, Omaha, NE
10/17: Fox Theatre Cafe w/ Japandroids, Boulder, CO
10/19: The Bottleneck w/ Japandroids, Lawrence, KS
10/20: Off Broadway w/ Japandroids, St. Louis, MO
10/21: Zanzabar w/ Japandroids, Louisville, KY
10/22: Mr. Smalls Theatre w/ Japandroids, Pittsburgh, PA
10/23: The Trocadero w/ Japandroids, Philadelphia, PA
10/28: 02 Academy, Glasgow, UK w/ The Black Keys
10/30: 02 Academy, Newcastle, UK w/ The Black Keys
10/31: 02 Academy, Leeds, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/2: 02 Academy, Brixton, London, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/4: Rock City, Nottingham, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/6: 02 Academy, Liverpool, UK w/ The Black Keys
11/7: 02 Academy, Bournemouth, UK w/ The Black Keys

The Walkmen on MYSPACE

The Walkmen are on tour

they are epically awesome in concert. they wayy surpass their recorded sound.

New York, NY Guggenheim 'It Came From Brooklyn' (August 14)
New York, NY Central Park SummerStage (16)
Morrison, CO Red Rocks - Monolith Festival (September 12)
Cambridge, MA Middle East (18, 19) *
Northampton, MA Pearl Street Downstairs (20)*
Washington, DC 9:30 Club* (22)
Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of The Living Arts (23)*
Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse (25)*
Asheville, NC Grey Eagle Tavern (26)*
Nashville, TN Mercury Lounge (27)
Birmingham, AL The Bottletree (29)*
New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks (30)*
Austin, TX Austin City Limits (October 2)
San Francisco, CA Treasure Island (18)

The Walkmen - We've Been Had [mp3]

concert review: The Walkmen and Kings of Leon @ Bill Graham Civic 21 May 2009

Kings of Leon played a sold out Bill Graham Civic last Thursday night and boy oh boy what an epic night of music it was. Having finished finals and turned in my thesis, I had nothing better to do than plop myself down outside the venue at around 1:30 in the afternoon (after sleeping in, taking a shower, grabbing a bite to eat and picking up something to read at Half Price Books), among 8 or 9 other fans who were as adamant as I was to be at the front of the massive venue.

The night commenced with a NY band that I quite like called The Walkmen, whose live show was nothing less than perfect. They shook up the stage with a powerful set led primarily by drummer Matt Barrick and lead singer Hamilton Leithauser. When I went back to listen to their recorded stuff after the show, it didn’t resonate as much (kind of like Born Ruffians). There is something about The Walkmen’s songs that cannot be captured in studio, and that is half a blessing and half a curse. Regardless, I will definitely be checking them out when they come back to the Bay Area, and I recommend that you all do the same. Seriously, just watch the following video and you’ll understand:



4/5

photos:





Everyone has gone on and on about how much Kings of Leon have changed; this is something which I couldn’t fully grasp until I saw their much changed live set last week. While anybody could see a vast discrepancy between Youth and Young Manhood and Only By the Night, I had received the change in sound as more gradual, as Because of the Times was slower and more reflective than either their debut or Aha Shake Heartbreak.

While the boys only played ONE song off of my beloved Youth and Young Manhood (“Molly’s Chambers”; the stubborn bastards would not acquiesce to my constant pleas for “Red Morning Light”), they surprised me by including a bunch of songs off of Aha Shake Heartbreak. But the way that they relayed all of the songs, including the ones off of their second album, was much more subdued, and had much less rock n roll swagger as old Kings of Leon.

It seems as though they really have cleaned up their act for good, something which I don't want to admit that I can actually appreciate. The boys are no longer boys: they're men. Most of them are in committed relationships, and they've matured into a sound that is far removed from their wonderfully carefree Youth, yet that isn't a bad thing. Evolution is just that. If they continued making songs with messy guitars and drunken choruses, people would eventually snub them as a one note act.

Kings of Leon are a rare example of a band who knows exactly how to progress as time goes by. But anyhow, back to their live show; I need to state this explicitly: just because their set wasn't what I was expecting, it still was perfect in every way imaginable. My one complaint (other than the inadequate amount of songs from their debut) would be that Matthew's guitar was turned down during most of the set, and you could barely even hear it during the iconic riff in "Sex on Fire". Regardless, all four Followills played their hearts out, and Caleb's voice was as pure and powerful as ever. Chills were abundant, and those of us in the front row were singing along to each and every one of their twenty one songs. Kings of Leon remain humble as ever, recognizing how lucky they are to be where they are. Caleb thanked the crowd for supporting the band and for spending money on a ticket in these tough economic times. That's another incredible thing about Kings of Leon: they have kept level heads throughout all of this fame and glory. They also miraculously managed to keep the massive show sounding intimate, and I will be watching the videos of the show on YOUTUBE indefinitely, reliving the glorious night.

While I still insist that the Kings’ increased “fanbase” doesn’t correlate with selling out, it did bother me that the two different people whom I spoke to on the train back home both had bought scalper tickets for more than a hundred dollars, and they weren’t even fans of the band: they had gone on their friends’ requests. But whatever, douchebags will be douchebags; if it means that one of my favourite bands is finally getting the attention that they deserve, I am not complaining.



4.5/5

set list:


photos:

Kings of Leon tix go on sale Sunday

just a reminder for all you SF folks who are planning to attend the Thursday, May 21 Kings of Leon/Walkmen show at the Bill Graham Civic,

tickets go on sale Sunday at 10AM

buy them at Live Nation