Albums to watch

Heaven

The Walkmen

Heaven

Sixth album of emotional indie rock from the New York five piece

ADM rating[?]

7.9

Label
Bella Union
UK Release date
04/06/2012
US Release date
29/05/2012
  1. 10.0 |   Art Rocker

    Few bands can maintain the consistently high level of output that The Walkmen have, so when we tell you that ‘Heaven’ may well be their best LP to date, that should tell you all you need to know
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  2. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Growing older has made their music warmer and more optimistic
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  3. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    After ten years of barely scraping by, The Walkmen can finally lay their bodies down and emanate a radiant beam of solid sound
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  4. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    A record made by a band with utter confidence in their chemistry, Heaven takes another firm and measured stride forward in what is rapidly becoming a celebratory jog towards brilliance
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  5. 9.0 |   DIY

    As anyone who really rather likes music would probably recognise, there may well be no such thing as a ten out of ten album, a level of perfection and flawlessness that is by all likelihood totally unobtainable; but it's hard to imagine anyone coming closer than these five men from New York
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  6. 9.0 |   FasterLouder

    We see a band more mature and deliberate in their work, and not a beat is missed along the way. A mutli-faceted group that delivers on all promises
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  7. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    It’s taken 10 years for The Walkmen to reach fully-fledged maturity and with any luck Heaven will see them emerge as headliners in their own right
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  8. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    Personal, moving, poetic, humorous, and engaging - all that The Walkmen are, and all that their latest, majestic record is
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  9. 8.5 |   Prefix

    The individual compositions on Heaven all sound similar to one another, but they feel like different members of a big family or recurring characters in a small village. Well-worn, well-defined, Heaven is the work of band with nothing left to prove
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  10. 8.4 |   Paste Magazine

    Its significance stems from the band’s growth and evolution, primarily reflected in the lyrics
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  11. 8.1 |   Pitchfork

    This group has always been able to carve out dramatic gestures like this, and even at this end of the spectrum - far beyond personal explosions and exclamation-pointed delivery - they continue to craft music of wry vitality
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  12. 8.0 |   BBC

    Heaven is a record with the power to grab your heart
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  13. 8.0 |   Uncut

    The Walkmen are weathering the iPhone age with some panache. Print edition only

  14. 8.0 |   Q

    The Walkmen are inching closer to the mainstream, while remaining utterly distinctive. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   NME

    Heavenly
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  16. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Flawed individuals making nearly flawless music is a hallmark of rock, so it’s no surprise that this is The Walkmen’s first rock and roll record
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  17. 8.0 |   Clash

    The Phil Ek-produced ‘Heaven’ is an epic maelstrom of world-weary hope set amid Paul Maroon’s chiming Rickenbacker and Hamilton Leithauser’s deeply affecting vocal
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  18. 8.0 |   Beats Per Minute

    The Walkmen have grown into this sound so comfortably and so organically that Heaven seems like a record they were destined to make
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  19. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    The steady jangle of electric guitar still dominates, as on the propulsive Heartbreaker and the standout title track, but everywhere there’s plenty of space for Hamilton Leithauser’s powerful, emotional voice to soar
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  20. 8.0 |   Bowlegs

    Further confirmation of The Walkmen’s mastery of beautiful songwriting and a band at the peak of their powers
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  21. 8.0 |   The Fly

    A gentle collection, evocative of a transitional time
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  22. 8.0 |   The AU Review

    The sound quality is crystal clear and the music doesn’t sound rushed or overdramatised at all, which can sometimes happen when a band reaches this point in their career
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  23. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    It contains some of The Walkmen’s strongest songs yet, original ideas and plenty of sonic variety, but whereas some tracks work, others feel half-baked
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  24. 7.0 |   Tone Deaf

    At no point will this record grab you by the collar, shaking a response at the point of a knife, but then that’s the overall charm
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  25. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    A fine album by a fine band – nothing more, nothing less
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  26. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Maturity in the music biz means taking the middle of the road, building a cash flow for the long haul. The Walkmen may take that advice to account after all this maturity talk, but there’s enough evidence to conclude that they’ll still think of novel ways to build a whole new record around a reverberated guitar
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  27. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    It is not their finest hour, since its 47 minutes end up feeling longer than either You & Me or Lisbon, but it may be their most compelling
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  28. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Heaven is their most expansive LP
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  29. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    A top-notch collection of songs
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  30. 6.0 |   Blurt

    It's not a perfect record. At times, it is borderline schizophrenic in the bouncing around of styles, but still shows a band headed in the right direction
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  31. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    Their most consistent and accomplished album to date
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  32. 4.0 |   Mojo

    Too much of it drifts by in a reverential belief that the ably engineered reverberation of vintage gear will suffice. Print edition only


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The Walkmen: Heaven

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. We Can't Be Beat £0.99
  • 2. Love Is Luck £0.99
  • 3. Heartbreaker £0.99
  • 4. The Witch £0.99
  • 5. Southern Heart £0.99
  • 6. Line By Line £0.99
  • 7. Song For Leigh £0.99
  • 8. Nightingales £0.99
  • 9. Jerry Jr.'s Tune £0.99
  • 10. The Love You Love £0.99
  • 11. Heaven £0.99
  • 12. No One Ever Sleeps £0.99
  • 13. Dreamboat £0.99
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