CD Review: You and Me

Band: The Walkmen
Release: 2008

Comments: One of the top 3 albums of 2008, You and Me is a departure from the up-tempo jams from Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone and the vocally sensible tune of A Hundred Miles. You and Me is a lyrically brilliant and instrumentally fascinating take on minimalism. The post-punk is gone and in is a wider range of orchestral pieces -- pianos, horns, strings, and percussion. The lyricism -- in the form of a second person self-reflection in "The Blue Route" and first person lament about a one night stand in "Donde Esta La Playa" is a small sampling of the variety The Walkmen cover in this album. The imagery is nothing short of spectacular either. "Sun goes down/Moon comes up/Sky is black and blue/Here I stand/Honey, with you," makes up the last few lines of "Four Provinces," a highlight of the record speaking about never leaving a much-loved girlfriend. One of the most critically receptive tracks is "In The New Year." A man and a woman. Always together. The man's family is concerned if he and his girlfriend will get married or not. "If Only It Were True" answers their concerns. With less instrumentation and more voice, the man (Hamilton Leithouser) acknowledges it's a dream for them to be married. An unrealistic dream. In "Postcards From Tiny Islands," the thought of suicide is brought up, perhaps after an incredibly drunken night. The tempo of the song shifts with the thoughts of the singer. "Seven Years of Holidays" represent the "wild nights" of early adulthood, age 18-25. The Holidays are over; the singer must move on and start concentrating on more important, less "wild," things in life like getting married and building a home and family. In conclusion, the concept of this album -- but more so the execution in recording -- is one consisting of a path of ambiance not ever taken before. And sometimes that's just what is needed for the perfect album.

Grade: 9.8

Flood Threat Rises Along Red River

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Officials here and in Minnesota pleaded for volunteers to help with sandbagging after a storm on Sunday increased the threat of flooding in an area already expected to be swamped by a record river crest.

The National Weather Service said the Red River, which is on the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, was about 3 feet above its flood stage of 18 feet in Fargo on Sunday. The river was expected to crest between 39 feet and 41 feet in the Fargo-Moorhead area by Friday, a day earlier and a foot higher than projected.

City officials originally planned to fill more than 1 million sandbags, but now they believe they need nearly 1.9 million bags.

Song of the Day (3/3/08)

The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended...

Because he knows
Our Romeo,
He can't climb back.
He swings in loopholes.
When he goes through the air
Their vengeance will stretch out.

I made the best of it.
I made the best of it.
I made the best of it.

This velvet rope
Has fell before
In vain.
Clothing crashing the floor.
Insane.
Worse than once thought.

Song of the Day (1/15/08)

The Walkmen - Red River

The light is finally fading
And so i say goodnight
I step out in the darkness
Around the firelight
I step out in the darkness
Lost my way around
I'm going now
but i'll be by tonight
I'll get held up by this heart of mine

I was forgotten and
Buried in the ground
I was reborn into this world
Never made it out

I wandered through the morning
I strode along the lines
I woke up in the trenches
They left the dead behind
I woke up in the trenches
Burned up in the mud
And now i'm gone
It just bury me alive
If i'm held up by this heart of mine

Oh no
It's all forgotten and
Buried in the ground
I was reborn into this world
Never made it out

Red River
Carry me home
I never
Been so alone
When the lime
Messed up my eyes
Red River
Carry me home