Lisbon

Responsible for perhaps one of the greatest songs in indie-rock, ‘The Rat,’ and the lyrics that most ardent music fans will have heard in a real-life all too many times, ‘The music’s loud/ in your room/ turn it down,. The Walkmen are unarguably unique, a fan’s band, they produce the kind of music that often evokes in the listener a strong sense of time and place; with the vintage instrumentation often lending itself scenes of a ‘yester year’ nature, be it a half-lit brandy-laden bar or a lively chandelier-decorated dancehall.

_Lisbon_, The Walkmen’s sixth studio album, with its seemingly raw production, manages to capture exactly the same sense of rustic, smoky-roomed, early Americana feel that can be experienced in their live shows.

Standout track ‘Blue As Your Blood’ is particularly intriguing; propelling itself forward with its early country and western style jaunt underpinned by a an addictive riff over which singer Hamilton Leithauser lends his affecting vintage-rock tones. Drawing near the end of the album, ‘Whilst I Shovel the Snow’ is a magical blend of music and lyrics, with the sparse guitar even on their own able to create an atmosphere reminiscent of a cold winter’s day.

_Lisbon_ is a fan’s album, and the Walkmen are fans band, they make proper music, and _Lisbon_ is proper music.