43. The Walkmen, 'Heaven'

"We can't be beat" croons Hamilton Leithauser on the opening track of the Walkmen's sixth studio album, and it appears he's right. Consistently palatial in scope and sumptuous in sound, this New York band assembles songs that are unbeatable. The mirroring, circuitous rock of Heaven nestles up to 2010's Lisbon like the next chapter in an engrossing novel. This record is complex and storied -- just like the band that created it. -- Caitlin White