After the cult success of their first album, Bows And Arrows is the next offering from The Walkmen, the New York outfit formed from the vestiges of Jonathan Fire* Eater and The Recoys. Their layered retro-guitar rock makes for interesting listening, at times frenetic, sometimes a tad abrasive.
Leithauser’s ragged vocals, Paul Maroon’s agitated strumming and the jangly keyboards lend themselves well to the second track ‘The Rat’, produced by Dave Sardy of Jet and Frank Black fame. The overall sound is catchy and raw, but it does sag a little in the middle with tracks like ‘My Old Man’, where the sound becomes a little strained and contrived.
However ‘138th Street’ is a gorgeous folksy tune that suits Leithhauser’s voice a lot better than the unfortunate falsetto in ‘Little House Of Savages’.
The album winds down with ‘New Year’s Eve’, and ‘Hang On Siobhan’, which is said to have been inspired by an old Appalachian standard, a sorrowful and engaging track. Bows and Arrows is textured, atmospheric and worth a listen.