By Andrew Dambeck
The Daily Cardinal
While putting the finishing touches on their summer release, A Hundred Miles Off, and with the eventual demise of their recording studio only weeks away, The Walkmen decided to put together a last hurrah for Marcata Records—the result being a note-by-note remake of Henry Nilsson's Pussy Cats, an album produced by John Lennon.
Back in 1974, during an extensive separation period between Lennon and Yoko Ono called the ""Lost Weekend"" when binge drinking and excessive drug use was an every-day affair, Nilsson, Lennon and others stumbled their way into a recording studio and put together the original Pussy Cats. The album did not do so well at the time of its release, yet over the years has gained a strong cult following of the musical brilliance of both Nilsson and Lennon—even while twisted with substance abuse.
The Walkmen's lead singer Hamliton Leithauser plays the part of Nilsson perfectly with his trademark raspy voice, for Nilsson had ruptured his vocal chords prior to the original recording of Pussy Cats original recording. In ""Many Rivers to Cross"", Leithauser embodies the painful shrieks of Nilsson perfectly. ""Subterranean Homesick Blues,"" a Bob Dylan song that was covered by Nilsson, provides an upbeat rendition of either version, including a shrilling saxophone solo that would certainly cause the likes of Charlie Parker to spin in his grave.
The tracks ""Don't Forget Me"" and ""Old Forgotten Soldier"" have the makings of a Lennon influence, relaying a sleazy-slow dance quality into them as if solely created for Leithauser's mournful vocals. ""All My Life"" proves an amazing yet messy rendition of the original, garnering plenty of random quips and goofiness in the background by Marcata's finest. Next is ""Save The Last Dance,"" which very much like ""Don't Forget Me,"" depicts depressing last-call bar moans, but is absolutely nailed by The Walkmen, who characteristically portray this inebriated, love-sick motif in plenty of their tracks.
The warm, congenial ""Mucho Mongo/Mt. Elga"" generates a sense of napping poolside with an umbrella in your drink—either that or a drug-induced hallucination. Of any of the other songs, ""Black Sails"" is most like something The Walkmen would release on their own; incorporating eerie reverberating guitars and dooming Hammond B3 use that elicits a Phantom of the Opera-like shroud on this dark corner of the album.
""Loop de Loop"" and ""Rock Around the Clock"" can be both described in one word—chaos. Included on these tracks is the aptly titled ""Saturday Night Marcata ‘BBQ' Chorus,"" which is a conglomeration of musicians, personal friends, and other liquored up encounters who join the band in the studio to party the place right into the ground.
Certainly this amazing recapitulation of a misunderstood album will send many casual listeners to record stores in search of the Nilsson/Lennon gem, but more importantly for The Walkmen, it's a perfect send off to their Marcata recording studio in Harlem and all the great times they had spent in that hole in the wall. The essence of Pussy Cats is what has made The Walkmen who they are—it's only fitting they make it back in return.
