12. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine / Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam

New York City music titans Hamilton Leithauser (The Walkmen) and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) teamed up for an impeccable record that reinvigorates the great American songbook.  Ranging through timeless sounding pop standards--from doo-wop to swing to ballads to country--listeners could be fooled that this original and dynamic collection of songs has existed in various forms for years.

Leithauser's sandpaper pipes steal the show as his gruff warble croons and yelps like a bruised and battered Sinatra.  Over the years, Leithauser's work with The Walkmen evolved from skittering indie rock to grand statements glorying in domestic contentment.  His gravelly vocals and city-lights style initially seemed a strange fit for Rostam's slick musical wizardry from Vampire Weekend's genre-defying productions.  But the pairing is a gift.

Rostam's arrangements show a deep knowledge and affection for decades of pop music.  His piano-based foundation and choral compositions inform the record with a classic feel, as if these songs were birthed in the same era as the influences they draw from.  The record is far from pastiche, however; the songs are transportive and sparkle with fresh vitality.

The many highlights include opening single "1000 Times," the late-night shuffle of "In A Black Out," the woozy bar band country of "Peaceful Morning," and the tipsy guitar and vocals of "When the Truth Is."  Straining to see the city in a new light while squinting their eyes from the back of a dusty, late-night watering hole, Leithhauser's and Rostam's disparate styles conjure up an utterly delightful collaboration.