I always respect a band that places more prominence on its own development and evolution than a shallow need to fulfil its fans myopic desires. The problem with subscribing to such a pretentious high ground is I often am one of those myopic fans. As such, like everyone else who has charted the progress of The Walkmen, Lisbon will leave you a little unfulfilled, if only because it's still not just more Bows and Arrows. However this reaction should only be preliminary at most, as closer examination and dismantling of Lisbon gives way to its own merits and dynamics.
While the subject matter from previous outings is very much prevalent here, the tone has shifted dramatically. The Walkmen have always dealt with the disenchanting issue of isolation and loneliness, however in Lisbon, vocalist Hamilton Leithauser has realized his jaded and battered outlook was in dire need for a major reevaluation. As such, much of this album still orbits around the central idea of being alone, however such a thing is no longer characterized in such a demoralizing light; rather Leithauser seems at best, able to ascertain the positive contributions of such a situation, and at worst, nonchalantly unaffected by it. Leithauser wastes no time conveying these new sentiments, as he lays his restructured character directly before us with in the first spoken words of the opening track “Juveniles”. “You're with someone else tomorrow night/ doesn't matter to me”- he seems to accept the fact that at times isolation is a human condition that wholly transcends the grasps of anyone persons control. He goes on to carefully contextualize being alone in something of a comforting even nostalgic manner. “The country air is good for me” he mumbles differentiating the infestation of over populated urban existence with the leisurely, albeit lonely rural life; Leithauser makes his decision clear.
“Stranded”, A clear stand out track on the album continues this line of thinking while at the same time introducing an intriguing subtext to the album. Leithauser pleads “You don't want me, you can tell me”, as if to explain he no longer needs his feelings spared from the inevitable parting of ways between whoever he is speaking to. The only track on the album carried by a horn melody, its tune radiates an enveloping sense of warmth and content. Its both interesting and instructive listening to this and then going back to Bows and Arrows. Leithauser is clearly no longer searching for the cathartic vitriol that spewed from the “The Rat”. That slightly destabilizing sense of anxiety is no longer propelling the bands music forward at such a pace. Leithauser isn't in a rush to get somewhere, rather being content lingering exactly where he is. The music in “Stranded” especially, but elsewhere as well, astutely translates these feelings into something more tangible for the senses.
As for the aforementioned subtextual references, now that Leithauser has taken successful strides towards conquering his own neurosis, he has directed his efforts towards others. Through out segments of certain songs he seems compelled, all though by no means confident in his ability, to apply a similar panacea to others as he did himself. Just as he seems less tormented by a life of loneliness he wants the rest of us to feel the same. Realizing he lacks the capacity to accomplish this, he finds himself striving to be with this people in some noble endeavour to protect them from a vacuumous solitary confinement. In “Angela Surf City” he boasts “Let's go home happy again/ just take your head from you hands”. In “Stranded” he desperately wants to know how his friends are doing; are the ok? Are they drunk and lonely? But he is unable to come to their aid as he says “There's broken glass around my feet” Awesome Die Hard imagery aside, he is conveying that while he is overcome his own dilemmas he is trapped from freeing others from such melancholy. This appears to be the new inspiration for Leithauser's agonized and scouring slurs.
While the pacing and subdued vibe of Lisbon certainly shares more in common with its more recent predecessor You & Me, as opposed to the variable speeds of Bows and Arrows, its construction seems unique and fresh. Most notable is the majority of the guitar seems a great deal lighter, euphonic even. More specifically it seems to generate something of a maritime, pacific aura. While pleasing and euphoric at times, it lacks the charisma of the Walkmen's earlier work. There aren't really any tracks that create the energetic tension and release that “Thinking of a Dream” “In the New Year” and “On the Water” had. This is not to say the direction is a mundane misadventure, I simply miss galvanizing triumphs and vengeful tirades their music use to personify. I have no doubt they till have this ability; perhaps they felt Lisbon's subject matter called for restraint. “Blue as Your Blood” comes close to being an exception with a guitar hook that is decidedly more blunt and penetrating the the rest of the album. “Angela Surf City” seems to be another as it ditches the minimalism of much of the album in favor of more brash hyperactive affair; I think its one of the better songs. Its core melody is actually purposely recycled and altered for a couple of the more low key and low fi tracks on the album. While by no means a recent innovation, it is a tactic that seems to be oddly common as of late. Arcade Fire and M.I.A. have both made similar moves in their recent work. With Lisbon, the purpose of such a maneuver eludes me, and its results seem to be less impacting as a result, when compare to The Suburbs by Arcade Fire at least.
As with they're other albums Matt Barrick shows himself to be one of the best modern day drummers. Throughout the album he directs the percussion from simple supportive backbone to the determining factor in altering and directing the pacing of a song- and then swiftly back into something understated once more. While less prevalent, Leithauser seems to have lost a touch of that grizzled scathing quality to his voice. It seems slightly more mellowed and crooning. The affects of this are minimal at best, but it seems worth mentioning.
With Lisbon, the Walkmen have taken another stride in the opposite direction of venomous outbursts that originally made people take notice of their efforts. Where as with so many other bands, such a maneuver is derived form an misconceived notion of innovation for innovations sake, The Walkmen's journey so far has been pleasantly logical and carefully mulled over. Their sound has become slightly lackadaisical and although its still engaging and thoughtfully engineered, it has discarded its alarmist and rattling guitar and pacing. However the new sound, while perhaps less startling, more aptly compliments a group that has become more seasoned and less irrationally bound by, as they would put it “juvenile” emotions. One wonders if they would take that as a compliment.
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