Peter Walker has some great friends with great resumes. Luckily
he’s not afraid to use them.

On his debut album, “Landed,” Walker is joined by
guitarist/keyboardist Jay Bennett (Wilco), drummer Joey Waronker
(R.E.M.) and bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck). Pair this
all-star band with producers Joe Chiccarelli (U2, Frank Zappa) and
Tony Hoffer (The Thrills, Beck), and Walker is practically poised
for greatness.

The result of this impressive and creative force,
unsurprisingly, is a strong album that blurs somewhere between
alt-country and raw rock. Walker borrows a little something from
each on his team: Wilco’s sense of subtle sonic depth, Beck’s
mastering of the melancholy, R.E.M.’s solid, catchy melodies and
The Thrills’ vocal strain. To that mix Walker brings an intensity
that only a newcomer could muster.

“Landed” opens with the adrenaline-charged “I’m Through,” a song
that, as it chronicles a relationship’s ending, somehow still seems
fit as an album’s beginning.

Walker’s first big surprise comes on the next track, “Please,”
as it utilizes reggae guitar sounds while begging a lover not to
leave.

“I Came Around” provides another pleasant surprise when the
first chorus comes in and most backing drops out, leaving an
acoustic guitar and Walker’s voice. The imperfect but passionate
vocals draw the focus as he sings “I just came around, that’s all/
I just came around to say goodbye.”

The friendly “Invitation” calls you to “Come on over/ Mess up
your mind.”

Walker’s real talent shines on the memorable melodies of
“Different Kind of Romance,” a track for which Walker leaves his
friends and takes on all performance duties.

The building musical tension of “Regular Woman” is finally
resolved as the electric guitar takes a lead solo. The bouncy
“Pluto” is a light-hearted look at Walker’s fantasies about
traveling to the planet on “a long plane ride.”

After “Dream Away,” the song on “Landed” that owes the most to
country, Walker slows it down while still maintaining his steam.
The beautiful yet creepy “Neighbor” celebrates voyeurism, with an
empathizing of the story of “a man in love with his neighbor.”

Both the vocals and piano were recorded live, and the effect is
the song’s ability to situate itself underneath your skin and
remain there long after its three and a half minutes are over.

The two closing tracks lie in the same tempo vein; both “Gone
Away” and “Easy Road” never manage more than a crawl.

“Gone Away” has a sadness that is further accentuated by the use
of the saxophone. “Easy Road” ends “Landed” at the opposite end of
the Walker spectrum that “I’m Through” opened the album with. It’s
here that Walker imparts his advice, “Never take the easy road/ If
you want something to last.”

At first it may seem that Walker chose to take the “easy road”
by employing the kind of people he did to help with “Landed,” but
really that’s a weak (and cheap) shot. Walker was smart to take
advantage of the opportunities presented to him.

By the end of “Landed,” it becomes apparent that Walker is
continually struggling with his talent, often unsure of his
abilities.

Although the support of his experienced friends may have given
Walker the confidence he needed, it’s really this struggle that
makes “Landed” remarkable.