Their calling card has always been moody, elegiac lyrics that read like poetry combined with an incendiary folk-punk musical sense, rooted in American traditional storytelling. However, the Seattle-based Walkabouts found their musical niche in the populace and industry of Europe rather than their native land.

Formed in 1984 by Chris Eckman, Carla Torgerson and Eckman brothers Hugh and Curt, the Walkabouts established themselves as a mighty indie force after signing with the U.S. label Sub Pop's European counterpart, Glitterhouse, in 1993 and releasing the albums New West Motel, Satisfied Mind and Setting the Woods on Fire in quick succession. The band's haunting lyrics and authentic musicianship combined to make the Walkabouts Sub Pop's top-selling European act.

Their talent has often been overlooked in the United States, though Eckman refuses to think of this in a negative light. "If there's an audience anywhere, it's great," he says. "Some people like to philosophize about it and say that our sound is more attuned to Europe than America. But I think the key reasons are fundamental: The U.S. recording industry didn't do a good job for us. We've had a lot more help and support in Europe." That support came primarily from Glitterhouse, which — aside from two albums with Virgin in the late 1990s — the band has stayed with until today.

The Walkabouts first played Prague in 1993, when the international music scene was still developing, and they have maintained a relationship with the city and its people. "Prague is always an interesting place to play," says Eckman. "It's one of those cities that you visit once and immediately love. After you spend some significant time there, you really understand all of its charms."

This time around, the indie veterans are promoting their album Acetylene, touring with the current lineup of Eckman (vocals, piano, and guitar), Torgerson (vocals, guitar), Glenn Slater (keyboards), Michael Wells (bass) and Terri Moeller (drums). The album's title track, taken from a highly flammable explosive gas used in welding, is meant to symbolize the band's desire for what Eckman dubs "positive aggression."

"The thing about acetylene is, it can be negative but have a positive result," he says. "It's kind of our way of cutting through the bull, of giving us an outlet for our anger and frustration. You can be really quiet and sullen, or maybe all you can do is make noise."

The frustration Eckman alludes to stems from the general malaise that seems to have overtaken modern society, in particular American society. The breaking point was the war in Iraq, which Eckman describes as "brazenly idiotic — something that, if it wasn't so tragic, could be a comedy sketch."

Given the political nature of the album's inspiration and its dark, almost didactic lyrics and images of apocalyptic destruction, one can't help but wonder if the intent was to provoke listeners to action or prompt a discourse. In response, Eckman enthusiastically says the band members were mainly trying to provoke themselves: "You have all these feelings and you don't always know how to articulate them. As social as the songs are, they are also very personal, and what people get out of them is beyond our guess."