The Walkmen went on hiatus in 2013, giving the members a chance to make solo albums. Founding member Peter Matthew Bauer, the bassist/organist, grabbed Walkmen drummer Matthew Barrick for his solo debut, Liberation!. Bauer never sounded particularly held-back in the group, but he does emerge here as a singer/songwriter in the Tom Petty-Elvis Costello vein. Once started, “Latin American Ficciones” settles into a Petty-style rocker with dirtier production, while “Fortune Tellers” further entertains the idea of Petty finding the distortion box on his guitar. “Philadelphia Raga” recalls the sense of mystery of The Chills’ finest song, “Pink Frost.” A gentle country-rock lope informs the ballad “Shiva the Destroyer,” another fine track that demonstrates Bauer’s love for rock ’n’ roll going as far back as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. The title track is led by Barrick’s manic drumming for a tightly clenched pop song worthy of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. “Istanbul Field Recordings” is filler, sounding like random music heard from afar and recorded on a boombox by mistake. However, “Irish Wake in Varanasi” puts things back on course with a convincing rocker.