With the Walkmen on hiatus, the band's bassist and organist Walter Martin is keeping his solo options open. Following up 2014's family-friendly We're All Young Together, he's announced plans for a new record titled Arts & Leisure that will arrive on January 29 through Ile Flottante Music.
A press release notes that Martin explored his multi-instrumentalist skills on the new material, playing "drums, guitar, upright bass, piano, bass harmonica, trombone, organ, mandolin, xylophone, slide whistle, glockenspiel, and just about every noise-maker and percussion instrument you can imagine."
It was produced by Martin, mixed by Phil Ek and features and appearance from the Walkmen's drummer Matt Barrick.
"Through writing songs about rattlesnakes and chimpanzees, I figured out how to write lyrics that express my inner self in a voice that's indistinguishable from how I naturally talk and joke around," Martin said in a statement [via Pitchfork]. "That was huge for me. Thankfully I was able translate it to non-animal subject matters."
That animal influence seems to shine through on tracks like "Daniel in the Lions' Den" and "Watson and the Shark," but you can see the full tracklisting for the record down below. Scroll past it to watch a trailer for the forthcoming release.
Arts & Leisure:
1. Jobs I Had Before I Got Rich and Famous
2. Daniel in the Lions' Den
3. Down By the Singing Sea
4. Calder's Circus
5. Michelangelo
6. Amsterdam
7. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
8. In a Gothic Church
9. Watson and the Shark
10. Old as Hell
11. The Tourist
A press release notes that Martin explored his multi-instrumentalist skills on the new material, playing "drums, guitar, upright bass, piano, bass harmonica, trombone, organ, mandolin, xylophone, slide whistle, glockenspiel, and just about every noise-maker and percussion instrument you can imagine."
It was produced by Martin, mixed by Phil Ek and features and appearance from the Walkmen's drummer Matt Barrick.
"Through writing songs about rattlesnakes and chimpanzees, I figured out how to write lyrics that express my inner self in a voice that's indistinguishable from how I naturally talk and joke around," Martin said in a statement [via Pitchfork]. "That was huge for me. Thankfully I was able translate it to non-animal subject matters."
That animal influence seems to shine through on tracks like "Daniel in the Lions' Den" and "Watson and the Shark," but you can see the full tracklisting for the record down below. Scroll past it to watch a trailer for the forthcoming release.
Arts & Leisure:
1. Jobs I Had Before I Got Rich and Famous
2. Daniel in the Lions' Den
3. Down By the Singing Sea
4. Calder's Circus
5. Michelangelo
6. Amsterdam
7. Charles Rennie Mackintosh
8. In a Gothic Church
9. Watson and the Shark
10. Old as Hell
11. The Tourist
