STREET DATE: 09.14.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Since their 2002 debut “Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone,” New York/Philadelphia based The Walkmen have discreetly evolved, with each recording becoming more subtle and simplistic, stripping their music down to the bare essentials. 2008′s noteworthy You & Me sounds eons away since their inception as a band, yet it is merely a transitional record from its predecessor, A Hundred Miles Off. Ergo, after hearing Lisbon, the band’s sixth LP in eight years, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it is the most straightforward record the ensemble has ever come out with. The Walkmen have always been keen on using vintage instruments like grand pianos and various sorts of brass; Lisbon is no exception. (Continue Reading)
STREET DATE: 05.25.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Wild Nothing – “Live In Dreams”
Wild Nothing – “Chinatown”
Gently and steadily, from the the uncharted spectrum of the indie scene, dream pop has emerged as a prominent breed in today’s music market, influencing pop outfits like Beach House and Twin Sister and chillwave artists like Washed Out and Neon Indian. Though attempts have been made to capture the unique essence of that familiar 80s sound, none have quite succeeded; none, that is, until Wild Nothing. On Gemini, his debut LP under the Wild Nothing moniker, one man show Jack Tatum, former singer of shoegaze outfit Jack and the Whale, exerts the dream pop genre to its fullest potential, combining elements of guitar-pop, shoegaze, and dreamy ambient pop rich in melody and inflection. Gemini is the closest to the 80′s you could ever get, sounding more like The Chameleons and Donna Lewis than fellow 80′s influenced ensembles Chairlift and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Though Gemini varies in sound, there is irrefutably a single theme Tatum conveys, one of teenage angst and lonely summer nights. (Continue Reading)
STREET DATE: 09.14.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Since their 2002 debut “Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone,” New York/Philadelphia based The Walkmen have discreetly evolved, with each recording becoming more subtle and simplistic, stripping their music down to the bare essentials. 2008′s noteworthy You & Me sounds eons away since their inception as a band, yet it is merely a transitional record from its predecessor, A Hundred Miles Off. Ergo, after hearing Lisbon, the band’s sixth LP in eight years, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it is the most straightforward record the ensemble has ever come out with. The Walkmen have always been keen on using vintage instruments like grand pianos and various sorts of brass; Lisbon is no exception. (Continue Reading)
STREET DATE: 05.25.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Wild Nothing – “Live In Dreams”
Wild Nothing – “Chinatown”
Gently and steadily, from the the uncharted spectrum of the indie scene, dream pop has emerged as a prominent breed in today’s music market, influencing pop outfits like Beach House and Twin Sister and chillwave artists like Washed Out and Neon Indian. Though attempts have been made to capture the unique essence of that familiar 80s sound, none have quite succeeded; none, that is, until Wild Nothing. On Gemini, his debut LP under the Wild Nothing moniker, one man show Jack Tatum, former singer of shoegaze outfit Jack and the Whale, exerts the dream pop genre to its fullest potential, combining elements of guitar-pop, shoegaze, and dreamy ambient pop rich in melody and inflection. Gemini is the closest to the 80′s you could ever get, sounding more like The Chameleons and Donna Lewis than fellow 80′s influenced ensembles Chairlift and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Though Gemini varies in sound, there is irrefutably a single theme Tatum conveys, one of teenage angst and lonely summer nights. (Continue Reading)
STREET DATE: 09.14.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Since their 2002 debut “Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone,” New York/Philadelphia based The Walkmen have discreetly evolved, with each recording becoming more subtle and simplistic, stripping their music down to the bare essentials. 2008′s noteworthy You & Me sounds eons away since their inception as a band, yet it is merely a transitional record from its predecessor, A Hundred Miles Off. Ergo, after hearing Lisbon, the band’s sixth LP in eight years, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it is the most straightforward record the ensemble has ever come out with. The Walkmen have always been keen on using vintage instruments like grand pianos and various sorts of brass; Lisbon is no exception.
Named after the capital of Portugal, which the band visited twice whilst writing the lyrics for the album, Lisbon is heavily influenced by classical music: “Torch Song” an oldies waltz, “While I Shovel The Snow,” a wistful ballad, “Woe Is Me,” and “Angela Surf City” venerable rock n roll ditties. “Stranded,” the first single off the album, is a trumpet heavy ballad, inspired by timeless New Orleans jazz from the 1950s. It shows. ‘Tis a bold move to release a song like “Stranded” as a first single, particularly for a band who gained mainstream affection with noisy pop rock anthems “The Rat” and “Little House of Savages.” But The Walkmen could not be swayed to release another pop rock record, especially as a followup to You & Me; their determination to craft delicate, thoughtful hymns has come to fruition on Lisbon, and the result is exhilarating.
Unlike its darker, gloomier predecessor, Lisbon is uplifting; urging you to go out there and experience the world. On “Juveniles” frontman Hamilton Leithauser sings “I am a good man/by any count/And I see better things to come;” on heartbreaker “Blue As Your Blood,” he remains positive: “The Lord came down and said to me/Throw off your worries and be at peace.” Though the group has thoroughly transformed over the last few years, The Walkmen continue to commemorate the usage of slap-back guitars, a sound that has become more eminent in their music; apparent throughout Lisbon in its entirety. A record without hidden meanings, Lisbon is not intended to make you think twice and understand the perpetual notion of its existence; no, Lisbon is a record solely committed to music, nothing more and nothing less.
75 — [Rating Scale]
STREET DATE: 05.25.10 | EMUSIC | AMAZON| INSOUND | ITUNES
Wild Nothing – “Live In Dreams”
Wild Nothing – “Chinatown”
Gently and steadily, from the the uncharted spectrum of the indie scene, dream pop has emerged as a prominent breed in today’s music market, influencing pop outfits like Beach House and Twin Sister and chillwave artists like Washed Out and Neon Indian. Though attempts have been made to capture the unique essence of that familiar 80s sound, none have quite succeeded; none, that is, until Wild Nothing. On Gemini, his debut LP under the Wild Nothing moniker, one man show Jack Tatum, former singer of shoegaze outfit Jack and the Whale, exerts the dream pop genre to its fullest potential, combining elements of guitar-pop, shoegaze, and dreamy ambient pop rich in melody and inflection. Gemini is the closest to the 80′s you could ever get, sounding more like The Chameleons and Donna Lewis than fellow 80′s influenced ensembles Chairlift and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Though Gemini varies in sound, there is irrefutably a single theme Tatum conveys, one of teenage angst and lonely summer nights.
Tatum’s prowess as a songwriter has blissfully matured since his Jack and the Whale days, apparent instantaneously on album opener “Live In Dreams:” “Our lips won’t last forever and that’s exactly why, I’d rather live in dreams and I’d rather die.” A sublime foreshadowing of good things to come, “Live In Dreams” rises as if out of oblivion, gradually yet potently, brimming with 80′s electro synth and pop rock. Songs like “Our Composition Book” and “Chinatown” follow a similar pattern. “Our Composition Book’s” progressive demeanour is reminiscent of dream pop outfit The Dream Academy; the use of chimes and electric guitar in teenage anthem “Chinatown” proves it to be one of the stronger, more relatable songs on the record.
“Pessimist” is the lone track on the album that pays homage to ambient, chamber artists of the 80s, completely lacking in percussion and guitar riffs. What is consistent throughout Gemini are emotionally charged lyrics and hazy, profound vocals, whether on blistering, bass illustrious tracks like “Bored Games,” “Drifter” and “Confirmation” or on florescent guitar-pop hymns “Summer Holiday” and “O Lilac.” Tatum’s dedication to endearing guitar refrains, atmospheric textures, and heartfelt, meditative vocals makes Gemini one of the finest debuts the dream pop genre has witnessed; an ode to emotionally precarious 80′s musicians.
85 ∴ — [Rating Scale]
