Album Review
THIS SIDE OF THE ISLAND
BY HAMILTON LEITHAUSER
by Joe Vickrey
The Walkmen are a cult-classic for anyone who loved 2000s rock, and their biggest single, “The Rat” has seen a larger than life resurgence on streaming platforms while their lead singer, Hamilton Leithauser, holds his head high with own accomplished solo career. From a collab with folk’s darling Kevin Morby to his own hit singles “A 1000 Times” and “In a Black Out,” he’s kept himself quite busy in recent years.
Released as a single ahead of the album, “Knockin’ Heart” is the most straightforward rocker Hamilton has released since The Walkmen, and it is the biggest banger of a love song I’ve heard in years. When it dropped I had it on a near endless repeat (and I still do) because it’s just so charming. “From the courtship to the chapel, from the branches to the apple,” the song is bursting with energy and wit. The cleverness of the lyrics are matched with a truly galvanizing vocal performance that screams out with sincere sentimentality. Even the guitar break and bridge are undeniably enchanting. This is as close to a perfectly written and recorded song as you can come in my book.
The album starts with “Fist of Flowers” which is not only a great introduction into Hamilton’s latest work, but it’s great imagery for how his music feels on the ears. Colorful beauty with punch and follow through. It also doesn’t feel like he’s taking himself too seriously as “Fist of Flowers” jumps straight into the seasick keyboard riff of “Burn the Boats.” The whole album radiates fun in a way that I don’t think anyone could fake.
I’ve often thought of Hamilton Leithauser’s solo music as a bit of a one man play with orchestration and an occasional drum beat, but This Side of the Island feels more like a band than anything else he’s done previously. Not that I don’t love his previous releases, but the interplay of the rhythm section and jangling guitars is simply magical here. It feels free and organic while still maintaining a conciseness in each song.
If Kevin Morby released “I Was Right” – and make no mistake, Kevin Morby could release this song – then every indie news site on the planet would praise him for such a fresh expression. I know I already mentioned their previous collaboration, but c’mon, tell me you can’t hear him singing this.
I would consider this album perfect if “Happy Lights” didn’t use the exact keyboard sound of the 1981 smash hit “Centerfold.” While “Happy Lights” starts by sounding like something off of The Smiths debut, I can’t get through it without wondering, “What the hell happened to the J. Geils Band?!” Either way, I’d make a strong case for this being Hamilton’s best entry to date.
While it’s rare for a solo album to outshine an artist’s formative work, I feel that Hamilton Leithauser has done just that. Anyone asking for a Walkmen reunion clearly hasn’t heard this album. This is Hamilton in his prime, and I want more. I can’t tell if the grass is truly greener on This Side of the Island or if Hamilton just has a green thumb, but the vibes grow freely and plentifully on this record.