The Walkmen cover “Holiday Road”

Saw a tweet scroll by this morning that mentioned this and then K reminded in an email, so I have no excuse not to post. The Walkmen are participating in another round of The A.V. Club’s Undercover series. This time it’s Holiday Undercover for, well, obvious reasons, and to comply with the theme The Walkmen chose Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road,” which I assume everyone remembers from National Lampoon’s Vacation. When I first read that this was the song they were covering I was slightly puzzled. It certainly doesn’t suit the band’s typically august melancholy. And then I wondered how Hamilton Leithauser’s voice would accommodate such a high-pitched tune because Buckingham is no slouch vocally in the original. Well, the band put on their party hats and knocked out a faithful rendition. Leithauser even croaks his way into Buckingham territory on the chorus.