Quietly, The Walkmen has been recording some of the most inspired pop singles of the past six years. Fueled by new wave gothic organs and creaky piano refrains, “We’ve Been Had,” “Little House of Savages” and “Louisiana” – though musically diverse – all share a certain dark lament, courtesy of lead singer Hamilton Leithauser’s strained wails.
The talent and intrigue has always been there, but The Walkmen’s albums never seemed to match the promise in the standout tracks.
Now, things are different. When The Walkmen plays its Washington homecoming show (all but one member attended St. Albans School) Saturday at the 9:30 Club, the band will unleash material from You & Me, quite possibly the best album anyone will hear in 2008.
The LP’s preceding release – the cathartic “In The New Year” – continues the tradition of first-rate Walkmen singles. But the focus is on the whole this time, as You & Me swoons, croons and cries out from the shadows, exploring deteriorating relationships and the little shifts in life that can eat a person from the inside out.
Pounding out the heartbeat to each emotional turn, drummer Matt Barrick has long been the group’s unsung hero. Barrick discussed The Walkmen’s latest album and new sound with The Diamondback in an e-mail interview.
The Diamondback: I was a little shocked when I put on You & Me for the first time. It was definitely The Walkmen I was hearing, but the songs sounded as if they were coming from a different, much more disciplined group of musicians really coming into its own. What has changed the most for the band in between A Hundred Miles Off and You & Me?
Matt Barrick: We did actually take a much more disciplined approach with You & Me. We worked on it harder and for a longer period of time and made a conscious decision early on to keep only the best ideas, so there was tons of stuff thrown away.
DBK: What was the recording process for You & Me like for the band? The sound and lyrics feel like a product of isolation.
Barrick: It was a very long process and was done at a number of different studios, from New York to Mississippi. We were searching for a long time, trying to find a place where we felt comfortable and, luckily, we ended up by chance working with Chris Zane at Gigantic Studios. Things really came together there. But the whole thing took a really long time.
DBK: Was there ever a moment before or during the recording process when the members of the band decided You & Me should be a quieter, simpler affair than the band’s previous efforts?
Barrick: Though we didn’t know exactly how we wanted to sound, we knew we didn’t want to be as loud and aggressive as we had been in the past. We weren’t really listening to that kind of music much anymore, and didn’t really want to make it either.
DBK: Internet-centric releases seem to be all the rage lately, but to my knowledge, You & Me is the first major pre-release to go 100 percent to charity – what inspired the decision to go to online retailer Amie Street with the album? How did your label, Gigantic, react?
Barrick: We had wanted to do a benefit show for our friend’s son, Luca, who was diagnosed with leukemia. I’m not sure who came up with the idea to do the Amie Street concept, but we all thought it was a great idea, and Gigantic was very supportive of the whole thing. For those who want to do more to help and learn about Luca’s progress, you can visit the blog here: www.loveforluca.com.
DBK: You & Me constitutes something of an audible shift for the band in the studio – aside from just the presence of new songs in the set list, will that have any bearing on the live shows?
Barrick: Since the record came out, our shows have gotten longer. Whereas they used to be short, loud affairs, now they are long and loud. Though we focus mainly on the new songs, we still play lots of old ones. It’s been difficult with the added instrumentation on the new record, but we have been traveling with a horn section, which has been great.
DBK: If a random fan could walk out of one of your live shows saying only one thing of the band, what would you want that to be?
Barrick: We recently played with Black Mountain, and there was this guy in the front row going bananas. After one of their songs, he shouted, “Heaviest groove!” and he really meant it. I think if someone said just about anything with the same enthusiasm as this guy, I’d be happy.
The Walkmen will play the 9:30 Club Saturday, Sept. 6. Tickets are $15 and doors open at 6:30 p.m.
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