The National

Beautiful.

Just played LP 1. Wasn’t ready to do any serious listening yet. Due to storms I had just turned on the stereo. Dropped the needle and started to catch up on some threads.

So what is one way to measure a great album in the 21st? A couple minutes into the first song I sat down the phone, turned it up a bit, and sat back. Spellbound.

Great sounding. The vocals just float in the mix. A few tics in my pressing but they didn’t got in the way on the music

Onto LP 2.

Beautiful.
 
This may be a weird comparison, but I kind of feel like this is the National's A Moon Shaped Pool in some ways. It's built out of the recognizable pieces of their previous work, but there's a focus on the quiet beauty that was there all along, and a willingness to push the sound into lush, orchestrated territory that may have seemed too precious on previous albums but fits with the subdued, personal mood of this one.
 
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Bennnnn said:
I don’t like when bands do this, teasing more material right when a new album is out. Because it never seems to pan out really. But anyway

www.nme.com

The National have “rockier” songs leftover that they may “get out of the freezer"

The National have revealed that they have some more “rock” and “live” songs that didn’t make it on to new album ‘I Am Easy To Find’ that may still see the light of day.
www.nme.com www.nme.com

I would welcome the hell out of a full on rock record.
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That NME interview I referenced earlier they mentioned that, too. They said their plan after SWB was to take a year off, get together and just bust out a rock record in like 2 weeks, but then Mike Mills reached out and that plan changed.

So I think that’s what we will hear next, but I think it’ll be after that break they mentioned.
 
whoisbeck said:
That NME interview I referenced earlier they mentioned that, too. They said their plan after SWB was to take a year off, get together and just bust out a rock record in like 2 weeks, but then Mike Mills reached out and that plan changed.

So I think that’s what we will hear next, but I think it’ll be after that break they mentioned.
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Wait, ignore me. I read your response, not the article. The article says what I just said lol.
 
whoisbeck said:
To those who aren’t wowed by the film:

Please watch it again. And again. It is not a typical short film in any sense, and the structure is definitely experimental, but I have not been so moved by a film in a long, long time.

The beauty of it is amazing and touching , and Vikander is so freaking talented. Only she can suspend the belief of the audience to make you not question her being a newborn, a teenager, an old woman, all without physically aging.

There is so much depth an existentialism in every shot, it’s the perfect glimpse into Mills’ work. He’s truly an underrated genius, and I think this film deserves multiple views.

Rant done.
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Good post! Just watched the film and thought it was beautiful, though maybe a bit heavy for Sunday dinnertime.
 
hamicle said:
Good post! Just watched the film and thought it was beautiful, though maybe a bit heavy for Sunday dinnertime.
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Yeahhh...I've been watching Bergman films this weekend and I feel like I'm tapped out on heavy stuff. Really want to watch this, but I think its gonna have to wait a few days.
 
I've seen a few people refer to "Roman Holiday" as kind of a dud of a track on side A, but I actually think it's the perfect transition between "Quiet Light" and "Oblivions." Plus, there is something about the line "There are police in the museum" that hits me in the gut every time and I don't fully understand why.
 
Side A is the strongest overall. The best songs are not on side A but overall for a one spin of 4 songs in a row, side A is the winner in my opinion...at this time (I retain the option to change opinion at any time). Maybe it feels the closest to traditional 'The National' songs??
 
Smansmith said:
Side A is the strongest overall. The best songs are not on side A but overall for a one spin of 4 songs in a row, side A is the winner in my opinion...at this time (I retain the option to change opinion at any time). Maybe it feels the closest to traditional 'The National' songs??
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Agreed. Two of my favorite tracks are on side A in Quiel Light and Oblivions.
 
There's still some songs I wish Matt had a larger role, like "Where is Her Head" would be a standout if he led the line from the beginning. I still really like it though.
 
This album is a subtler deconstruction of the National sound, especially the last few albums. There's less going on so the remaining elements are more deliberate and meaningful and the listener is given a lot more space to lean in and a bit more responsibility to pay attention. If you're scanning through the tracks or in your head upset that Matt is "sharing the spotlight" (or some other complaint about the context of the record), I can see you walking away feeling there is nothing there to hold on to. But there is a lot there. And it's been really entertaining for me to hear the band achieve the same level of meaning and satisfaction with a sparse drum beat, a few flourishes of guitar and electronics, and a well timed lyrical pause as with a conventional guitar heavy track with constant layer additions that soars into a conventional orchestral cacophony 2 and a half minutes in. The fact alone that we finally get the voice-of-reason counter to Matt's inward babbling performed by some unique and talented non-dude vocalists should be enough to elevate this album, let alone the masterful use of sparse arrangements to produce full meaningful songs. I think this is their latter years masterpiece and will be the album future bands point to as their inspiration and favorite National album, more so than Boxer.
 
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