I do miss The Walkmen. They were one of my favorite live acts, getting better and better all the time, and their records arrived with a comforting regularity. So I was truly disturbed by the announcement of their hiatus. I can only hope it’s short. Maybe they’ve just got to get some stuff out of their systems. Three of the five Walkmen have recently released solo records, and two of them sound very little like their collaborative efforts. One of those includes a field recordings collage, and the other is designed for pure pleasure. Black Hours (Ribbon Music) is neither of those. I would not have predicted that singer Hamilton Leithauser’s solo release would demonstrate the most fidelity to his home-team. Maybe because of the A-list designated hitters he brought in, or maybe because the first single, “Alexandria,” just sounds like the answer to, “What if that dude from the Walkmen fronted Vampire Weekend?” but I suppose I expected the record to be a series of put-ons (Leithauser as frontman for Fleet Foxes, Dirty Projectors, The Shins, etc, etc.) But it wasn’t to be.

The album’s cover and first track, “5 AM,” would have you believe that his real goal is a throwback, some old blue eyes crooning and crying. Look at those song titles: “The Silent Orchestra,” “Self Pity,” “11 O’Clock Friday Night.“ I immediately thought of Sinatra’s mid-50s trilogy of torch songs for the brokenhearted (Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, In the Wee Small Hours, and Where Are You?). But that wasn’t to be, either. The late-night vibe does make more appearances, on “St. Mary’s County,” “Bless Your Heart,” and the shoop-be-doo-wop end of “I Retired.” But even then, Leithauser hardly strays from the signature sounds of his band. Does that just mean they’re his sounds, which he brings to the group’s efforts?

While nothing on Black Hours would sound out of place on The Walkmen’s You & Me or A Hundred Miles Off, those albums came out more than five years ago. What makes this fall short of the band’s work is not the sound, but the lack of surprises. The Walkmen as a group are always moving on, always trying new things, always confident in their abilities—sometimes to the consternation of their loyal following. Black Hours is sure to put smiles on the faces of a lot those fans, but they won’t be sated for long.