The Walkmen

The Walkmen were originally the amalgamation of two bands, Jonathan Fire*Eater and the Recoys after Fire*Eater split in 1998, although all the members had grown up together in Washington DC. They started performing under the name Today Okay, but then became The Walkmen, and moved away from their previous garage-influenced sound to incorporate more traditional instrumentation and a sophisticated style built around piano arrangements - while adopting a challenging, more experimental approach. Their first release was a four-track EP in 1999 released on a small Brooklyn label Startime, but their first full album was Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone in 2002, which inspired a strong indie following, world tours and a major label contract. Quirky second album Bows + Arrows was supported by an appearance on the hit TV show The OC, while third album A Hundred Miles Off presented a much lighter, poppier, though still atmospheric feel, including the buoyant dance single Louisiana. Somewhat bizarrely they then released a track-by-track cover of the 1974 Harry Nilsson/John Lennon album Pussycats. They returned to more familiar territory on 2008's You And Me and were back again in 2010 with the upbeat Lisbon album.