Hamilton Leithauser – Bandwidth

Photos: Spoon And Hamilton Leithauser At Lincoln Theatre

Kyle Gustafson — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:22:21 +0000

In the second of three sold-out shows at D.C.’s historic Lincoln Theatre, indie-rock idols Spoon played to a crowd last night that seemed even more pumped than the audience on Tuesday. Many attendees who would have been stuck in the upper balcony streamed down to the theater’s lower section as Britt Daniel and Co.—now featuring Divine Fits’ Alex Fischel—played a set of songs pulled more from their older albums (and less from They Want My Soul and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, the foci of Tuesday’s performance).

According to setlist.fm, Spoon debuted “Let Me Be Mine” live last night—a special touch that made up for the lack of the snazzy all-white outfits they wore Tuesday. The Austin band plays one more gig on U Street tonight, this time without support from D.C. native and ex-Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser—instead, D.C.’s Ex Hex opens.

Hamilton Leithauser:

Spoon:

Due to an editing error, the original version of this post inaccurately said Hamilton Leithauser is opening for Spoon Thursday. Ex Hex is the opener.

Hamilton Leithauser: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:39:26 +0000

This is the second time Hamilton Leithauser has graced the Tiny Desk. Two summers ago, he and his band The Walkmen played a powerful set of songs from their final album for now, Heaven. The Walkmen announced an indefinite hiatus toward the end of 2013, and since then we’ve heard strong solo records from Walter Martin and Peter Matthew Bauer — and, of course, Leithauser himself, which is what prompted us to invite him back.

These songs put Leithauser’s voice front and powerfully center, even more than it was in the band. There’s a more relaxed feel all over his new solo album, Black Hours, though a few full-throttle tunes get the most out of his huge voice — including the second song from this set, “Alexandra.” Along with The Walkmen’s Paul Maroon on guitar, Leithauser brought along Hugh McIntosh, who played drums in Leithauser’s old band The Recoys. All in all, a fine re-introduction to a singer who’s lost none of his power, even as he’s matured and loosened as a performer.

Set List

“11 O’Clock Friday Night”
“Alexandra”
“5 AM”

Credits

Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Olivia Merrion, Nick Michael; Production Assistant: Stephen Thompson; photo by Olivia Merrion/NPR

First Listen: Hamilton Leithauser, ‘Black Hours’

Stephen Thompson — Fri, 23 May 2014 08:03:14 +0000

Hamilton Leithauser sounds worn-out and weary on Black Hours, his first solo record since his long-running band The Walkmen went on indefinite hiatus late last year. But of course, Leithauser has always sounded worn-out and weary: The guy’s still only in his mid-30s, and it’s already been a full decade since he sang the words, “When I used to go out, I’d know everyone I saw / Now I go out alone if I go out at all.” Leithauser has gotten a head start on middle age, lyrically speaking, and Black Hours finds him letting it catch up without losing his vitality in the process.

The singer largely tones down the briskly jangled rush of The Walkmen’s sound throughout Black Hours, as he steers many of its songs toward a slow-burning seethe that suits him well. But there’s still a looseness to the record that allows Leithauser to play around on new terrain: “I Retired,” in addition to having the most solo-debut-friendly title ever, even finds him delving into doo-wop halfway through. But Leithauser still hews to themes of aging and alienation — “I retired from my war / No one knows what I was fighting for / I don’t even know myself anymore” — in ways that make Black Hours sound like a natural sequel to The Walkmen’s work.

Recorded in collaboration with few likeminded all-stars — including Richard Swift, Vampire Weekend‘s Rostam Batmanglij and The Walkmen’s Paul Maroon — Black Hours feels stately and hand-crafted, even as bits of vein-bulging intensity poke through. Co-written with Batmanglij, “Alexandra” even manages something approaching fizziness, a welcome new discovery for a singer who needn’t have worried so much about middle age after all.