Underrated Albums : "Bows + Arrows"

most times, the best little secrets are always kept.

but somewhere in catacombs, reveals some old treasures left behind;

this is one that should be shared.

From the corners, deep somewhere in Harlem, came five men, out from the gutters and the alleys, now walking on the sidewalks among the many. From the ashes of Jonathan Fire*Eater, the Walkmen are far too familiar with the music business, but manage to give no compromise to the fellows in charge. Piece by piece, in 2000, they used the money they had to create a reharsal space to practice and master their craft. And they started to write some songs that stood out from everyone else, a vintage feel, a sound that has been lost in an age of growing technology and the evolution of popular music. After a handful of EPs and an equally underrated debut album, "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Are Now Gone," the Walkmen has proudly set their masterpieces drawn in the sand, yet washed away before anyone could notice. Yet, with a handful of followers at their whim, they have yet to make a really impact on the main audience. But with heavy fustration, only welcomes ambition and effort. And on the second try, they did not dissapoint.

In 2002, at the height of the Garage Rock Revival, emerged an indie masterpiece, simply titled, "Bows + Arrows." The first track is more an introduction to all of the focused energy for the next song, which i'll get into later. "What's In It For Me" is like modern waltz about being left out from your friends and the fustration of hollow solitude. And then, like a gunshot, the energy becomes intense, with the album's gem, "The Rat." It's aggressive guitars, pounding every moment like a heartbeat moving faster and faster; violent drums marching like war, which is somehow complimented with the soothe of the background organs. Hamilton Leithauser's vocals become like a roaring ocean tide, eating up the sound as it progresses. As this could be the band's finest moment, if not already been taken up by other gems on the album, such as "Little House of Savages" or "Thinking Of A Dream I Had." "No Christmas While I'm Talking" and "138th Street" are like a heartfelt tribute to something you may never known, yet would like to twirl your candle in the dark, watching the lonely flame flicker back and forth in the purple wind. The almost silent ballad "Hang On, Siobhan," gets your at your weakest; yearing on your bed waiting to go to sleep, yet find so difficult. By the end, at the title song, its more of a reflection after what was done, but you can't help to regret. Bitter and tart, yet it hits your tongue like childhood candy, forgetting the old taste, become nostalgic as it melts in the back of your mouth. It shows a growth in the band, in comparsion to "Everyone Who Pretends...", as they become bigger and bolder for a new tide about that's about to come. They made sure you get to see work before the next tide to came in.

By the new album release, they were welcomed with high accolates and was often listed on many reviewer's best of the year lists, and consider one of the best releases this decade. The album garthered more fans, but yet still quite unknown in majority of households hold the music lover. In the indie underground, they are the silent legends of indie rock, yet still unable to break through to the public. I sometimes find it frustrated when i offer the music to my close friends, yet unable to see the beauty in the masterpiece. And as their shallow 3rd album, "A Hundred Miles Off," which was the last recording in the studio they built, failed recapture the glory of "Bows + Arrows," their latest album, "You & Me" revives its vintage sound and provide another masterpiece that proved to be darker and more shelled then previous efforts. I still believe that "Arrows" has been underrated for the more modern and electronic sounds, overshadowed by the everchanging music scene, as the Garage-Rock Revival had its time, it had passed. Somewhere beneath the sea is that buried treasure awaiting to be found, but this album keeps a safe passage to the future ahead, as it is a legend somewhere lost in time.