The Walkmen

(The Walkmen)

Rizzo and The D Man hit The Walkmen show last night.  The band was spectacular.  Sure, The D Man is prone to hyperbole, if only because life is better with some embellishments.  But it was one of the better live performances I have seen in some time.  I was just feeling it.  The venue was right--tight, compact, loud--and Hamilton Leithauser's voice crackled with emotion and urgency.  He lords inside each and every song, brooding, considering, challenging, while his veteran bandmates shelter him with sophisticated compositions.

The band's vintage rock'n'roll casts a peculiar, urban vibe throughout a room, enhanced when an upright piano is sprinkled throughout the set.  Their intra-song rhythm changes are exciting, and Paul Maroon's guitar tones are often sublime.  Rarely does a band exceed my expectations, but these guys were supremely talented professionals.

Highlights included tracks from most of their fine records.  "Blizzard of '96" (from Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone), "The Rat" (from Bows & Arrows), "In The New Year," "On the Water," and "Four Provinces" (from You & Me), "Angela Surf City" (from Lisbon), "We Can't Be Beat," "The Love You Love," and "Heaven" (from Heaven).