Lisbon by The Walkmen

And that brings us to "Angela Surf City", the song on this album that deserves a place alongside "The Rat" and "In the New Year". It starts off tense and withdrawn, Leithauser singing about some relationship without ever letting us in on what, exactly, is going on. Underneath, there's a tense, withdrawn surf-rock beat. And when the chorus starts to well up, the music underneath keeps surging upward, becoming huger than anything the song should be able to handle, then getting even huger from there, as Barrick lets off relentless Bonham-level thundercracks.

The Walkmen have done it slightly different this time, but I guarantee that after hearing this album, the brilliance of Lisbon will stay with you for the entire day, no matter what color the sky sitting above.

But Lisbon is an important step for the band, as they take everything they’ve learned from the previous eight years and find ways to improve on nearly all their mistakes while forgetting nothing that makes them who they are.

So yes, I have my reservations regarding Lisbon. It seems determined to match each of its firecracker sparks with a craggly, over-dimpled dud.