The Walkmen were a bug-eyed, curveball-throwing New York outfit of the 00s whose fairy godmother never quite outgunned fate. With the band on hiatus, raw-throated lead singer Hamilton Leithauser found himself studio-bound with Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, game for a change. The result is this uncommon duo record that mixes sax—laden Irish bar doo-wop (Rough Going (I Don’t Let Up)), analogue synths and harmonica (You Ain’t That Young Kid), banjos (Peaceful Morning) and Leonard Cohen-ish chanson (In a Black Out). The just-so production and mastery of the American songbook is pure Rostam, while Leithauser anchors these story-songs with a plethora of vocal moods: gargles, croons and yelling.
