Once again a lock for year-end Best Of lists, The Walkmen put together something special in Lisbon, the sound of a band hitting its stride and flexing its muscles. They've always been raw and fierce, but now they sound stronnng too.

Lisbon is a kitchen sink album that builds on the fruits of their most successful experiments, rather than simply taking inventory. Most noticeable to me, they retained some of that cavernous sound that made the last album so delightfully dark and unsettling, but they also managed to shine a lot of light into the cave.

I really can't pick out a clear-cut winner at this point, but I do love this song, bringing back those languid 'Lousiana' horns...

The Walkmen - Stranded by statemagazine

If you want to hear more and/or get a glimpse of the band at work, I really enjoy this session.