written by Chris Familton

The Walkmen have always fallen short of the crowning moment in their canon – 2004 single The Rat – and as such they are the type of band you keep coming back to, hoping they have pulled it together and scaled the same lofty heights as that surging, emotive calling card. Lisbon sees them settling somewhat further into their own skin but the problem is that their sound can sometimes feel impenetrable and uncomfortable to be around for too long.

They kick things off in typical Walkmen fashion with Juveniles and half an idea that meanders and plods along in rather harmless fashion. It sounds nice but doesn’t grab you by the scruff of the neck. On the upside, the spacious All My Great Designs features gloriously splashing cymbals and an almost Grizzly Bear sound, there is a drunken Waitsian sway to While I Shovel The Snow and they display admirable restraint on the post punk hoedown of Blue As Your Blood.

Hamilton Leithauser is the focal point of pretty much everything on Lisbon and it is hard to ignore his straining voice – searching for the notes in a constant state of pleading desperation. On Angela Surf City he pushes the vocal cords to the limit in a plea to a girl while the band crashes and furiously strums along behind him. Elsewhere he soaks his words in the nasal sound and enunciation of Dylan on Victory and it actually works effectively given the classic barroom feel that the rest of the band give to Lisbon.

While there are a handful of stellar moments on Lisbon that stretch from classic rock to art rock they lack the true peaks and valleys that they need to elevate themselves out of the current indie rock logjam. You desperately want them to succeed but they still just aren’t quite there.

this review first appeared in Drum Media