The Rainbow’s In The Gasoline

Hamilton Leithauser “The Garbage Men”

“The Garbage Men” has a sort of shabby grandeur to it, particularly in the contrast of the unrestrained clattering percussion and a sampled horn loop that’s like a very rough approximation of a sentimental string arrangement from an old Hollywood film. It sounds like a guy stumbling around drunk through a big melodramatic moment, and maybe it’s only melodramatic in his own mind. Hamilton Leithauser’s voice is perfect for this vibe, especially when he really leans into his yowl, and his lyrics sketch out the perspective of a guy who’s down on his luck but wisely sticks to evocative details over laying out a specific plot. The main thing here is just understanding his feeling – unwilling to surrender too much pride, resentful of the haves, and fearing he’s on the edge of fully becoming a have-not.

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