LogFAQs > #953810439

242. The Walkmen The Rat (2004)
from the album Bows + Arrows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWR1h-5EzUo

Key lyrics:
When I used to go out, I would know everyone that I saw
Now I go out alone, if I go out at all

Few songs capture the raw desperation of a breakup like The Rat. One minute, you want nothing to do with someone, the next youre begging for their attention. The early 2000s saw a brief explosion in post-punk influenced bands, and this was a key piece among the movement. The lyrics are simple and direct, the vocals like an injured animal lashing out at anyone who dares draw near. This is as energetic as rock music comes, every instrument a chaotic force. The drumming here is the standout. Im not usually one for harder styles, but this hits the right level of aggression in just the right way its angry yet achingly relatable.

Hamilton Leithauser has a vocal style like no one else, and everything about this song amplifies and reinforces his strengths. The bridge is the best part, the seething anger being pulled back, only for the full force of the song to slowly return. This is expertly-crafted chaos. Anger is a truly difficult emotion to capture in music, requiring one to balance a fine line between cheesiness and inauthenticity. In an era where a dozen nu metal bands came off as juvenile amateurs by merely associating anger and loudness, The Walkmen knew when to soften up at just the right time to highlight the surrounding intensity.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/