“Louisiana”
from the album A Hundred Miles Off
2006
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The Walkmen’s third full-length proves this is a band for the ages. Joining a post-motorcycle-crash Dylan vocal delivery with a Springsteenian of-the-streets spirit, whiskey-soaked singer Hamilton Leithauser leads his band through a set of rousing, sharply focused, late-night pleas and barroom romps that take the group well beyond its garage roots. From the swamp pop of “Louisiana” to the calypso bounce of “Brandy Alexander” and swaying blue-eyed soul of “Another One Goes By,” the music draws upon timeless forms, and in the process itself becomes timeless. Though there’s hardly a misstep, the triumph here may be the startling entreaty “Emma, Get Me a Lemon” — iridescent guitars, fervent organ and keyed-up, tribal-style drumming drive an impassioned vocal straight to the heavens. Mainstream success may not come easily, but the Walkmen deserve applause.