The Walkmen announced their hiatus three years ago. Since then, singer and songwriter Hamilton Leithauser hasn’t stopped crooning.
Leithauser released his debut solo album in 2014, another record between him and Walkman bandmate Paul Maroon the following year, and last fall he released I Had A Dream That You Were Mine with the Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij.
He’s nothing if not prolific. And he sings with the same intensity as he did on tracks like “The Rat” nearly a dozen years ago when he was a young man.
The record blends classic songwriting — à la Leonhard Cohen — along with plenty of harmonized “doo-wops,” a twinkling piano on “The Bride’s Dad,” flavorful Spanish guitars, a banjo, pedal steel guitar, and sultry horns. It’s American music — you could be driving down the interstate and making pitstops at scenic overlooks and national parks to this music.
And Rostam’s focus and musical breadth as producer and multi-instrumentalist jibes oh-so-well with Leithauser’s energy as frontman and performer.
See the two perform at Lincoln Hall this Wednesday--tonight--before he strains his voice too hard. The show starts at 8 pm, and Richmond, Virginia, singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus opens.