Tynan's Anger

SONGS OF THE DECADE #46

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

The Walkmen - In the New Year (2008)



With one song, the band you had forgotten about over a half decade of indie rock (is there any other kind anymore?) all of a sudden became the band you brought home to your mother. The Walkmen are a New York band in heartland drag; Leuthauser's street savvy appeal belied the distinct American qualities of this rare indie power ballad. In fact, taking "In The New Year" out of a New York context only makes it better. It's not an experimental song, and has no business being compared to Brooklyn's perpetual avant-gardists. Instead "In the New Year" is a song that could fill an arena and a festival better than a rock club, but the song's earnestness—and that earnestness's rare, complimentary maturity—makes it stick.

Labels: 2000s, in the new year, lists, pop music, songs of the decade, the walkmen