BY APRIL S. ENGRAM

It took two hours of driving through winding, rural roads to arrive at Cornell University. White deer, Clydesdales, a horse and buggy and corn fields were a common sight; who would've known that nestled in the middle of this country exterior rested Cornell and its bustling village (plus a rockin' concert...). NYC's Walkmen enticed me to take this drive, and it was not till later that I learned that the lead act was The Decemberists... Christmas can come twice in one year!

The Walkmen were simply flawless. The quintet walked on stage, lead singer Hamilton Leithauser introduced the band, and they leapt into the quiet track "New Country." Leithauser's warbled, raspy voice rang through Barton Hall-a large, indoor track turned concert venue -and he, along with his crew, delighted the crowd. Guitarist Paul Maroon, bassist Walter Martin, drummer, Matt Barrick, and organist Peter Bauer all wore a serious visage as they methodically played their instruments.

With each release The Walkmen's sound matures and their most recent album, You & Me, proves just this. Their brooding tracks all hold a shroud of fiery melancholy. Leithauser's vocals cuts above the instruments, and his passionate performance makes the songs come alive. For a few tracks - "I Lost You," "Long Time Ahead of Us" - friends of the group walked out and played trumpets on tracks. The highlight of their set was easily "In The New Year" where Leithauser shouts effortlessly, "Our troubles are over!" Catching The Walkmen live is an event worth seeing over and over again.

***

The Decemberists emerged, the crowd roared and Chris Funk, guitar, Jenny Conlee, organ and accordion, Nate Query, bass, and John Moen, drums, began playing. After a few chords Colin Meloy walked on and joined his band members, the audience shouted even louder and Meloy raised his cup in response. As if the friendly, next-door-neighbor appeal of Meloy is not enough to charm fans, the singer proved to a great showman. He offered fans in the front row a warm smile and a bow as he strummed his guitar and slowly walked towards his mic.

Meloy enjoyed playing with the crowd and photographers as he posed for the latter. At one point Meloy stepped away from his mic, walked to the very edge of the stage and held his face inches from a photographer's lens. The latter put his camera down for a moment and smiled at Meloy before taking some more shots. After the first song, Meloy mentioned how he and the band were just getting comfortable. He was all set with his wine, he told us - then quickly added, "Oh, sorry, I mean grape juice."

This tour is on the cusp of a singles release, Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series, and it comes in the middle of creating their next album, so the Decemberists are a little busy. But who could tell as Meloy and the rest of the band played effortlessly and to the delight of the crowd, who sang along with every number. They also roared at Meloy's quips of "Change!" after the recent election - the Decemberists had endorsed Obama and played as one of his events - and it became evident that part of that "change" was also in the way the band was able to keep a room fully energized from start to finish.

[Photos credit: April S. Engram]