The Walkmen Are Sadly Earthbound on "Heaven"

I can appreciate stripped down guitar playing and throwback backdrops as much as the next guy. Trouble is there don't appear to be many song ideas that feel like they've come to full flower on "Heaven". The pattern over and over again boils down to a guitar that shifts chords two or three times which only serves to enhance the already repetitive chorus. "Can't Be Beat" employs a delicate acoustic guitar. The title track supplies more oomph but this, and most other cuts could've been better had the soundscapes been allowed to breathe free. It isn't until the palpably fragile "Southern Heart" that Hamilton Leithauser's voice gels with the guitar that's helping to buoy it. Applause goes out to "The Witch". That's because it's the lone cut where I was left with a lasting impression that didn't flame out less than five minutes after I listened to the CD. Chalk that up to the spine-tingling organ. If Love could even come close to sounding like an ominous creature here's an example. The New York minimalism shows but that's also part of my sticking point. It's a little too gritty to sound like a polished product is being presented. Polished grittiness could be interpreted as a type of oxymoron but studio smarts could make this possible. In the end "Heaven" is too earthbound, chained to a prison inhabited by the seeds of what might have been.