Blog > Title: Lost Classics: A Hundred Miles Off

I swear that eventually I will  use this column to post on something more than 7 years old. However, today is not that day.

If you read about music online (which you’re doing right now), you definitely should have heard of The Walkmen. If you haven’t, you’re gunna get the chance to listen to them soon, so hold on.

Anyway, usually when you hear of The Walkmen online, it’s in reference to their two superb albums, Bows and Arrows and last years You & Me. These are two great records–don’t get me wrong–but today I’m here to tell you about their lost classic, A Hundred Miles Off. You may be asking yourself, “Why is this 3 year old well traveled album a lost classic?” Case A: The mighty Pitchforkmedia.com, champions of The Walkmen in general, just about messed themselves over the release of the for admittedly excellent Bows and Arrows LP, granting it the rare honor of a 9.2. Fastforward four years, when they awarded 2008’s markedly more straightforward You & Me a very gracious 8.5. Meanwhile, the workhorse album, the traveling band’s testament, and the exercise in stability, A Hundred Miles Off garnered a measly 6.5 from the indie media powerhouse.

6.5!

Now I’ve heard every Walkmen album, I consider myself a big fan. They are indubitably, one of the most interesting rock and roll acts going: both a great live act and a formidable recording powerhouse. A rare total package. And I have heard, and been moved and engrossed in the Bows and Arrows record. It’s fantastic. “The Rat” will be remembered as one of the best recordings of the ’00s. But, what I cannot see is the justice in saying, “Sadly, there isn’t much on A Hundred Miles Off that leaves a lasting impression.” How about how lead singer Hamilton Leithauser cozies up next to us and tells us a little bit more about himself as a songwriter on “Brandy Alexander”, or the horn solo on album opener “Lousiana”, or the drumming on Bows and Arrows’ cousin “Always After You (’Til You Started After Me)”, and what about the pure solidarity of composition on the Marazin cover “Another One Goes By”. Sure, this album isn’t the experimental moodiness and arena-chasing sound that made Bows and Arrows make it to the screen of television’s the O.C.. But how can anyone snub an absolutely and completely hard fought, rock solid follow up to one of the best albums of the ’00s? I think any Walkmen fan can attest to the fact that this album does not fall three bloated Pitchfork points from Bows and Arrows. In fact, upon repeat listens–of which I’ve had many–this album actually does a significantly more to make friends with your memories and taste buds, and features none of the overblown whininess that can be found on the band’s sophomore outing.

The point is: The Walkmen are fantastic. Everything in their rapidly expanding catalog is certainly worth a listen. And this, their third album, is certainly no drop off point. In this humble reviewer’s opinion, it’s one of their best.

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