2004 has, thus far, been an excellent year for great albums, and mainly from artists who are off the mainstream track. I’m always trying to find something very special, highly original in a market that grows more homogenous by the day. PJ Harvey and a handful of other UK based acts have delivered the goods, but the USA and Ireland have dominated this ‘special’ music sector in 2004. And this album from USA Band The Walkmens is a prime example.

The opening track What’s In It For Me sets the scene nicely for the rest of the album. It’s a rough-hewn, rambling song, with a compelling ambience and melody aplenty. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that this is a one-take live track because that’s exactly what it sounds like. It has a solemn Hammond opening to which is joined by a wonderfully expressive, sing-as-you-feel quality from leadman Hamilton Leithauser. Put simply, it’s original and totally superb. The Rat opens with a long, rattling guitar and drum intro before Leithhauser deploys his magic again. The production of both opening tracks and subsequent songs is largely unfiltered and allows the music to tell its story in its own way, so it’s very much a case of what you see is what you get.

No Christmas While I’m Talking opens threateningly and darkly with another extended and original instrumental passage. It’s a painfully slow song with held guitar chords and a vocal that crawls along with just a few key changes. The ambience created is intense and totally stunning. And it’s the third brilliant track in a row. Track four, Little House Of Savages, signals a more detailed and clearer sound from the band while still retaining that compelling live performance ambience.

BOWS + ARROWS is an earthy, intense, raw and highly distinctive rock album from an uncompromising band. Pace is nicely diverse and underneath it all is a keen sense of melody, emotion and deep intelligence. Without doubt one of the finest rock albums of 2004, and one you should definitely own.

4.5/5