The Walkmen Reveal 'Lisbon' Title Track Nearly Didn't Make New Album

Though it may seem like a cop out, the practice of naming an album after one of its songs is a delicate art. The selection not only has to be representative of the album's concept, it also has to sonically set its tone. So it is rather surprising that, when the Walkmen put together their new record 'Lisbon', the closing title track nearly missed making the cut.

"We had no idea how the album was going to turn out till it was completed," lead singer Hamilton Leithauser tells Spinner. "The song 'Lisbon' wasn't even originally on the album."

According to guitarist Paul Maroon, the reasoning for the song's near exclusion was due to its longevity in comparison to the album's other shorter tracks.

"We had to argue about ['Lisbon'] because all the songs are so short and that one is nearly seven minutes long." Maroon explains. "So finally, the day we were mastering, we decided to put it on, and then we named the record after it."

Luckily for the group, the somber closer manages to perfectly capture the rest of album's tone.

"We can't imagine the album without it now," Maroon adds.