The end of May will mark a decade since indie powerhouse ensemble The Walkmen released their last album, a fact that’s been made more palatable by the recent prolificacy of the band’s multi-instrumentalist Walter Martin as a solo artist. Releasing a slew of albums—in addition to work for film and TV—noticeably shaped by his role as a father, his latest release features some of his most personal music to date. “The Bear feels like the kind of album I’ve been building towards for my entire career,” he shared. "I don’t think I’ve had the nerve to be this honest, this autobiographical before, but more than anything I’ve ever written, these songs explain who I am and why I make this stuff.”
With the album dropping back in March, Martin brought one of the project’s standout singles, “Baseball Diamond,” to his repurposed-schoolhouse studio in the Upstate New York hamlet of Gansevoort where he filmed his “Neighborhoods” set. The stagnant backdrop of visibly aged wooden doors serve to embolden the songwriter’s wordy tale spanning time and generations, all while his Walkmen-esque electric guitar provides another gentle framing device. Check out the video below.
