146 replies to this topic

[Johnny's Shack]

In my humble estimation, "Canadian Girl" and "Red Moon" hold up against any of this band's best songs. The way they record the guitar in "Canadian Girl" is absolutely, unequivocally, jaw-droppingly sensational. It sounds like the underwater guitar effect of "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" taken fifty fathoms deeper. And it shimmers oh so beautifully. Their guitarist is the best Edge disciple of all time.

[Walter Sobchak]

Still lovin this.. I think it is their best/most consistent.

[Hewletts Daughter]

I've had this for weeks now and still am yet to really listen to it. I keep revisiting their back catalog, though. 'We've Been Had' is probably my second favorite track of theirs. Yeah!

[JeffTweedysFatStomach]

This is still my album of the year, and now I can buy it and donate to charity at the same time.

http://www.pitchfork...harity-donation

Prior to the Gigantic release of their new album, You & Me, on August 19, the Walkmen are doing a gigantic good deed by releasing the album online and donating all the proceeds to charity.

Starting today and continuing for the next three weeks, the Walkmen are offering a five-dollar download of the full album exclusively via AmieStreet.com as part of the website's "Download to Make a Difference" campaign. All proceeds from these sales will benefit cancer research and treatment, in accordance with the band's wishes.

Specifically, "all donations go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Luca Vasallo, a friend to the band and a current patient who is seven months old and doing a great job fighting a very difficult disease," Walkmen member Peter Bauer is quoted as saying in a press release.

You & Me is available for purchase via AmieStreet.com here.

[suckeredyou]

This is still my album of the year, and now I can buy it and donate to charity at the same time.

http://www.pitchfork...harity-donation

Prior to the Gigantic release of their new album, You & Me, on August 19, the Walkmen are doing a gigantic good deed by releasing the album online and donating all the proceeds to charity.

Starting today and continuing for the next three weeks, the Walkmen are offering a five-dollar download of the full album exclusively via AmieStreet.com as part of the website's "Download to Make a Difference" campaign. All proceeds from these sales will benefit cancer research and treatment, in accordance with the band's wishes.

Specifically, "all donations go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Luca Vasallo, a friend to the band and a current patient who is seven months old and doing a great job fighting a very difficult disease," Walkmen member Peter Bauer is quoted as saying in a press release.

You & Me is available for purchase via AmieStreet.com here.

Also, Insound is selling an exclusive red vinyl version of the album. You get the MP3s if you buy the vinyl, too.

[HandBanana]

Tried a half dozen times to get into this. Would be better if they had a mode other than Plod.

[Johnny's Shack]

I've had this for weeks now and still am yet to really listen to it.

I keep revisiting their back catalog, though.

'We've Been Had' is probably my second favorite track of theirs. Yeah!

listen, listen a lot. I've been a big fan of the band for about 5 years, and this is an easy call, their best album. Leithauser's singing has never been close to as good as it is here, and the lyrics are wonderful. I expect this to get raves from the critics. It's not experimental or grating, it's fairly conventional rock with some classic reference points (Orbison, Dylan, U2; "If Only it Were True" could be an early 60s rock record), vocals and lyrics are there, band interplay is top notch, and it has that reigned-in sense of restraint and maturity their other discs mostly lack. it's gotta be the horns.

my only criticism is that it is too long. almost no rock album should have 14 songs; they're always better succinct and compact. get in and get out! 9-12 tracks is the money zone for a rock album. "Postcards from Tiny Islands" and "Four Provinces," while good songs, would have been better as bsides. To me, they don't hold up to the quality of the rest of the album.

"i don't need a christmas card, you don't need to write. last christmas was black and blue, but this year it's white"

[Walter Sobchak]

Postcards and Flamingos should have been left off, other than that, can't ask for much more out of an album.

[arkin]

I, for one, really love this album. I think it has a lot of depth, and there are some great melodies too. I see this crawling up my EOY list.

[Johnny's Shack]

I, for one, really love this album. I think it has a lot of depth, and there are some great melodies too. I see this crawling up my EOY list.

The Daytrotter sessions are pretty good too. A little more folk than the album. Four Leonard Cohen covers. "Passin Through" is especially good. The lyrics are classic, and very well-suited to the subdued Leithauser treatment.

daytrotter link

[nagode]

right now this is #2 on the year for me... and "long time ahead of us" has been playing non stop for me "Take me tonight as I am Leave me the way I was found Oh, moonlight Oh, moonlight Help me sleep There’s far too much weight on my mind"

[Duff.]

Listened to it this morning. Still not sure what to make of it. In general it kinda bores me, but then there are moments, like in Postcards, Blue Route, and I Lost You, where it's like, "Wow, that's kinda cool." Either case, love this guy's voice.

[nagode]

8.5 today from p4k...sounds bout right...still my no 2 of the year i love it...im hopefully gonna get some of the left off demos in the next week...will post as soon as i get them...

[JeffTweedysFatStomach]

Still my number one of the year easily. 8.5 seems way too low for the rating but can't expect the fork to get seriously behind a band who isn't trendy in their little indie world and seems to have no desire to be.

[Alky 2009]

I don't know, the way they've been giving out ratings in the past year or so, an 8.5 from Pitchfork is pretty glowing coming from them.

[nagode]

Still my number one of the year easily.

8.5 seems way too low for the rating but can't expect the fork to get seriously behind a band who isn't trendy in their little indie world and seems to have no desire to be.

i dont know...p4k has pretty solid reveiws of everything save the last album...which i think eveyrone can agree blew...the reveiw also states that this is their best album and that the walkmen have plenty left in the tank...i think thats pretty positive

[Hans Christian Anderson]

it's true, i don't think i remember anything higher than illinois' 9.5 in 2005 since then. a few close ones (LCDs last record got a 9.3 i believe...), but yeah, i'd say an 8.5 from them these days is better than an 8.5 from them in 2001.

[JeffTweedysFatStomach]

p4k has pretty solid reveiws of everything save the last album...which i think eveyrone can agree blew...

Sorry man - can't agree at all. "Louisiana", "Another One Goes By", "Don't Get Me Down (Come on Over Here)", "Brandy Alexander", "Always After You" - these are all 5 star songs in my mind.

The only stinker on there is "Tenley-Town".

[arkin]

A Hundred Miles Off is underrated, but it's still not their best by a long shot.

This, however, might overtake Bows + Arrows in my estimation. So much brilliant stuff here.

I'd say it's at least worthy of a 9.0

[solace]

i like this record, but definitely not a top 10 on the year for me... just doesn't have any totally killer standout tracks for me, just a solid all around effort.