The Walkmen are an indie rock band from New York City. They will be here in Madison sharing the bill with Okkervil River at the Barrymore.

The members of the Walkmen grew up together in the Washington, D.C., area and have played in the same bands since the fifth grade. The Walkmen can be classified as sounding like such diverse bands as the Pogues, Joy Division, Springsteen, early U2, New Order, the Smiths, and the Clash. Their new music has favorably been compared to Pixies, Brian Eno, and the Velvet Underground with strong hints of Television.

They have made this conscious attempt to evolve away from the raw, fiery garage sounds of their previous bands (Jonathan Fire Eater & The Recoys). They incorporate piano into the new songs as well as take the compositions in new directions by experimenting with instrumentation and recording techniques. Although their new LP You & Me (2008 on Gigantic Music) is sort of a "return to form" for the band.  Their guitar tones are bright and rich with reverb and Leithauser's vocals are sounding amazing with raw emotion in every phrase.

Take a listen to some cuts from You & Me and make sure to catch them at the Barrymore.