THE WALKMEN - A HUNDRED MILES OFF

A quick explanation: I kept seeing people's album of the year lists. And I kept not seeing this album on it. I originally posted my blog but I'm in the process of deleting it now and I thought I'd back up the interesting music entries here.THE WALKMEN - A HUNDRED MILES OFFI just tried to explain this album, to explain my attachment, to explain it's greatness, to explain why Walkmen fans shouldn't be turned off and new listeners shouldn't be either, but I can't. I can only offer hazy metaphors and a desperation to make myself understood.For me, this album fits like the pair of jeans that hasn't been washed in a while, that I've worn to too many concerts, with grass stains on the knees, with soft fabric and a smell like something far away and familiar. It is, in other words, raw and desperate and filled with memories that are happy but also sort of sad. It's uncomfortable at first but it fits me, perfectly. There are piano chords that give cadence to my otherwise sour and meaningless days. There are guitar parts that keep my limbs from fraying. I can't sing along to this album, but I want to. I try, too.I'm not saying this is not a flawed album - I sometimes don't know when one song ends and the other begins; I can't sing along; the guitars overshadows pretty much everything; I only just noticed that possible tambourine on "Don't Get Me Down (Come On Over Here)"; the drums drive everything but are somehow inappreciable; but to me it is a great album because it's human. It's the moments you can't assign emotions to. Somewhere between happy and lonely, I'd say "Louisiana, come go away with me." The emotions you can't assign moments to, or vice versa- if you play "All The Hands And The Cook" several times in succession and maybe you might hear what you feel.This is the album I can't even bring myself to share for fear that no one else will appreciate it as much as I do. If you don't love it, I will have to kill you. And yet I know that this is universally "whatever!" album. I've read the reviews. My friends have told me, "their other albums were better" but goddamn you, I haven't heard their other albums. I have heard this album. And I love it.So. . .my favorite album of 2006. The Walkmen, A Hundred Miles Off.