Record Collection
2006
A Hundred Miles Off
About This Album
Shaking off the wintry fog of Bows + Arrows like a parka come springtime, the Walkmen return with A Hundred Miles Off, an album of lighter, brighter songs that still maintain the band's fantastic sense of atmosphere. The Walkmen's odd, endearing ability to be noisy and nuanced, belligerent and bittersweet at the same time made Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone and Bows + Arrows two of the most distinctive-sounding albums of the 2000s. Here, they tweak a few elements of their sound, and while it's not a radical overhaul, the differences are significant. Matt Barrick's outstanding drumming and percussion and Hamilton Leithauser's raspy croon are the stars of this show, resulting in an album that's more like the Walkmen's concerts than the meticulously crafted sound of their other albums. A Hundred Miles Off feels downright summery, from the Dylan-meets-mariachi-band vibe of "Louisiana" to the tropical rhythms and djembe that pepper "Brandy Alexander." There's also less reliance on the band's once-ubiquitous keyboards, with the notable exceptions of the poignant organ swells on "Emma, Get Me a Lemon" and "All Hands and the Cook," which switches between a rickety saloon piano and horror-show organs.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 10)

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