The National - High Violet

http://pitchfork.com/news/38099-new-national-album-ihigh-violeti/

The National's fifth LP, High Violet, is due out May 10 in the UK and May 11 everywhere else via 4AD...

They've already got a slew of tour dates lined up for the spring, and you can check them out after the jump.

The National:

03-28 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre (Big Ears Festival)
04-22 Richmond, VA - The National
04-23 Richmond, VA - The National
05-05 London, England - Electric Ballroom
05-06 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
05-07 Paris, France - Le Zenith *
05-09 Berlin, Germany - Astra
05-21 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
05-22 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern #
05-23 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre #
05-26 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
05-27 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre #
05-29 Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-02 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06-03 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06-05 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06-06 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall %
06-08 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06-09 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06-11-13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-16 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall %
07-27 Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park ^

* with Pavement
# with Ramona Falls
^ with Beach House
% with the Antlers

I realized recently that my initial praise for Boxer was just residue from my enduring love of Alligator. It was actually a pretty lame and rather hollow record. Hope High Violet isn't a disappointment.

^^pretty much the opposite for me - I didn't really like Boxer cause it was so different from Alligator but it's really growing on me, and Alligator is falling out of favor. think I prefer their slow sad man jams nowadays

crazy. 'Boxer' completely shadows their other albums, which I like but still. It seems that the new one will move away from the more restrained sound of Boxer, which I'm a bit worried about out. They have the potential to go U2 on us.

I had (and still have) no use for Alligator but ended up loving Boxer. I'm hopeful for this but have a feeling Boxer may be that anomalous piece of their catalog that doesn't make me wince.

I realized recently that my initial praise for Boxer was just residue from my enduring love of Alligator

i always felt like the critical praise for boxer was partly based on people feeling like they underappreciated and/or slept-on alligator. still a pretty good record; still interested in the new disc.

slow sad man jams

This is pretty much an anti-endorsement of any music I might care to check out.

Will be avoiding this National album.

alligator probably got slept on because it's so backloaded. i think i like the last 5 songs on it all better than the first 8

New song sounds pretty good, definitely louder than most of the stuff on Boxer (though that could be because it's a live performance):

http://pitchfork.com/news/38161-watch-the-national-debut-ihigh-violeti-lead-track-terrible-love-on-fallon/

BTW I didn't hear Alligator until after I heard Boxer and I prefer Boxer

same thing for me and although I like Alligator, I don't think I would have investigated further had it been the first thing I'd heard from this band

I'm the opposite, Alligator was the first I heard and its still marginally my favorite. Like them both a lot though. Not in love with this song, but the other new songs they played when I saw them last fall sounded great. Still looking forward to this.

I heard Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers before I heard either Alligator or Boxer, but Alligator still stomps all over both of them.

I still haven't even heard the first album, though. Any good?

Its not bad... I little rough around the edges, but there are some good tracks.

I really like their b-sides, which are compiled on the ... Virginia EP?

but the first non-album thing you should check out is the Cherry Tree EP

Oh yeah, I've heard the Cherry Tree ep. I was so happy when "All the Wine" showed up on Alligator.

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/03/the-national_high-violet.jpg

Alligator was the first I heard and I saw them put on amazing show backing that record, so still my favorite by far. I found Boxer to be a huge disappointment at the time, though it has grown on me a little more. Just seemed too flat and lacking the dynamics that I loved about Alligator.

that cover is atrocious

yeah that cover is :(

seems like a typical indie CD cover. won't look good on vinyl that's for sure.

music would have to be pretty different for this cover to fit

they're going in kind of a four tet meets yeah yeah yeahs direction

not trying to be dense but what exactly is the object that the font is on?

concrete with rebar coming out of it?

Looks kind of like a tailpipe.

not trying to be dense but what exactly is the object that the font is on?

― hitler runoff (J0rdan S.), Friday, March 12, 2010 1:09 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

concrete with rebar coming out of it?

― but actually it is impossible to have a penis on the body of a mermaid (dyao), Friday, March 12, 2010 1:34 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Looks kind of like a tailpipe.

― Johnny Fever, Friday, March 12, 2010 1:44 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

album of the year

"Terrible Love" is great (opening track), now i'm excited about new National.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GdlsaQH6ao

Fewer sad man slow jams! More guitars!

not trying to be dense but what exactly is the object that the font is on?

A book?

A book that's not strong enough to contain all of the powerful emotional words that are spilling out of it?

THE SINGER'S DIARY???

Looking forward to hearing this, fwiw. Boxer did nothing for me but I still LOVE Alligator.

we finally have a track listing but still not on Amazon:

The sculpture on the album cover was created by artist Mark Fox, and is called The Binding Force.

1. Terrible Love
2. Sorrow
3. Anyone's Ghost
4. Little Faith
5. Afraid of Everyone
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
7. Lemonworld
8. Runaway
9. Conversation 16
10. England
11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

The Binding Force

i wish

1. Terrible Love
2. Sorrow

this is going to be their 'sunshine pop' record then?

You can download Bloodbuzz Ohio from their website. It's a grower i think.

It's got that terrible line about "the swarm of BEEEE-EEZ."

http://cdn.stereogum.com/files/2010/03/bloodbuzz-ohio-national.jpg

the artwork is even getting more interesting.

another very solid song from these guys, looking forward to this new album!

I was bees, says the National

really liking this single, esp. its slightly motorik feel. Excited

The album version of Bloodbuzz Ohio sounds terrific. Very high hopes for this album.

Also this is them performing another album track, Runaway, on Q TV last year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjskJAKeJdM

The cover is apparently based upon a sculpture by Mark Fox

http://images.artnet.com/artwork_images/653/388006.jpg

I don't know about the single. It sounds like an outtake from Boxer.

here is another new song, "Afraid of Everyone."

http://pitchfork.com/news/38478-download-the-new-national-song-afraid-of-everyone-now/

^liking this song a lot.

first listen: nice song, not going to convince anyone who didn't like the band before to like them now

this has finally leaked.

Sounds pretty good to me. "Little Faith" actually grooves a bit, which is new for them.

email:

Hi everyone!

As you may have heard, there is a low quality leak of our new album, High Violet, spreading across the Internet as we speak. We wanted to let you know the New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com - will be streaming the real thing starting Friday April 23rd. We hope you'll take the time to hear the album at its intended level of quality.

High Violet will be released by 4AD worldwide on May 10th/11th.

Is the low quality thing true?

Listening to it on my computer at work so hard to tell - most of the mp3s are 320kbps but Terrible Love did sound slightly distorted (like it was recorded with the recording level/volume up too high). Sorrow sounds ok though.

could be the leak was transcoded to 320 to appear 'high quality' or 'cd quality'

yeah... the copy I found was pretty bad. Deleted it already... I'll wait for the stream.

Listening to it on my computer at work so hard to tell - most of the mp3s are 320kbps but Terrible Love did sound slightly distorted (like it was recorded with the recording level/volume up too high). Sorrow sounds ok though.

― groovypanda, Tuesday, April 20, 2010 5:43 AM (2 days ago)

this was true for me as well. i was wondering if it was intentional, because the vocals seem to come through clearly. the rest of it sounds muddled or like i'm streaming it on myspace, so i dont know if thats just the version i have, and whoever put the album together just cobbled tracks from here and there, or if its part of the song. the rest of the songs on my leak sound fine, so i'm not sure what to think.

i did not like this much on first listen, but it's growing on me. i miss the moments of tension that really dominated the last two albums. with alligator, it was cathartic, because the tension in the songs was usually alleviated, or at least, brought to a head by berenger's yelling. on boxer, there was even more tension because i felt like they were playing on your expectation of the band to go full-tilt. a lot of the songs ("start a war", for example) would build, making me think it would climax like "mr. november" or something, but they never did, making me like them even more for fooling me like that. here, any tension in the songs seems to be subtle leaving me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

"England," "Sorrow," and "Afraid of Everyone" are the standouts.

the piano line in "england" sounds a lot like "concerning the ufo sighting near highland, il"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_mwUEjuz3Q

Solid album. The second half is especially strong. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks has been stuck in my head for the last couple days.

the stream is up... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/magazine/25national-t.html

Listening to the stream of "Terrible Love" right now and its very apparent that the music sounding like shit was intentional. Clears up a little as the song goes on though.

this album is really, really good. i waited until todays stream and think they might have just released their best record. the National are funny because i really didn't think they were that good when i first heard them back in the day. something about them gets under your skin and doesn't let go if you give them that chance.

Totally agree. I dismissed them initially, but Alligator really struck something after spending some time with it. Seeing them live really sealed the deal for me though.

Apparently the version of "Terrible Love" on the album is the demo.

First listen, I love every song except "Lemonworld", which is my least favorite on the album.

Watching them record a song is like looking on as a group of skilled chefs make a sandwich together; even in a B.L.T., they can foresee endless possibilities.

...

That story was garbage.

yeah I can't believe I made it all the way to the end. and then I had to pick my jaw off the floor when the byline mentioned the dude has four books already published.

The CD landed on my doormat this morning.

Can't believe how much brighter the songs sound compared to the MP3s I have.

you got it early, glad to hear these songs are better when not heard in MP3 format. looking forward to owning this next week.

^^^ National lyric

We're half-awake, in a board empire

can I just

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7kS87Ao3mA

so I went through so heavy heartbreaking can't go into it here shit last spring and saw these guys immediately thereafter and fucking cried my eyes out. I don't know what it was other than fucking ~beautiful~ and I know how gay that sounds and I don't care. It hit me. It still does.

The one that killed me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmDtgopI-8

good post ENBB, i think this is what separates the National from other indie bands at the moment. others like Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend or even the Hold Steady have released sub par records. though they aren't as good as say Okkervil River or of Montreal (my farovite) they seem to be able to hit that emotional mark that so many bands are missing today. i really like that fact that i'm able to identity with bands like the National and am able to keep my faith in music because of it. i thought at first this band was sub-par but their is something in them that i making them the leaders of the pack instead of followers.

sorry about all the grammar errors in my post, wine has got the better of me tonight. i think you know what i was trying to say...wish i had an edit button!

i think i'm seeing them next wk, excited. ENBB i think i know what u mean in terms of their hitting some sort of emotional center.

yeah the national totally hit that spot for me too. I know it's cliche and easy to go 'lol sad people music' but personally they do things for me no other music does.

I like them well enough, and the new record offers their most consistent work yet, but often they just offer what Wallace Stevens called "sadness without cause" ("Afraid of Everyone" is the key title).

true - and sometimes that's all I ask of my music

8.7 and Best New Music on P4K today

what do you mean "without cause"? should the cause be made explicit in the lyrics?

8.7 and Best New Music on P4K today

Congratulation to the National on their Pfork superstar status.

what do you mean "without cause"? should the cause be made explicit in the lyrics?

In the singing too, which is often woolly.

Damn, just lost a bet with my National adoring girlfriend. We were guessing with the Pitchfork rating would be be. I thought it would be higher.

are there songs about drinking on this???

just lost a bet with my National adoring girlfriend. We were guessing with the Pitchfork rating would be be. I thought it would be higher

i was anticipating a 9.0. 8.7 feels like a letdown. this band has let me down.

I only listen to bands that score above a 9.0

The lyrics are surprisingly booze free for a National album.

any ref to corporate office-wear?

I only listen to bands that score above a 9.0

me too. it's especially disappointing to me, since i prefer to only listen to bands that score above a 9.0 and write songs romanticizing the "complications of being a stable person expected to own certain things and dress certain ways." there are so few masterpieces in this sub-genre.

I only listen to bands that score above a 9.0

a joke, I hope.

p. sure that's a joke

i will check this out but i basically agree with you alfred--lyrically, they seem to act like they expect you to know exactly how they feel cause we're all dealing with angst and urban ennui right? right?

yes, but "sadness without cause" is also like, one of the most prevailing human conditions, as well as the foundation for a lot of terrific art. as kate bush said, "life is sad, and so is love" and "i don't know why i'm crying."

maybe their sadness sounds particularly poeticized?

in fairness, there's room for writing about "sadness without cause," which is certainly a real (and, i'm sure, common) phenomenon.

surm got there first, and more eloquently.

me too. it's especially disappointing to me, since i prefer to only listen to bands that score above a 9.0 and write songs romanticizing the "complications of being a stable person expected to own certain things and dress certain ways." there are so few masterpieces in this sub-genre.

that guy seems anything but stable to me.

see i'm not sure "without cause" is accurate with this band--like some of the lyrics sited in the p4k review today--it seems like they're writing from a particular lifestyle/viewpoint/geography/economic status but they don't really tell you anything about it because they assume you're living it?

don't get me wrong it certainly works for them at times but i can't get through boxer in one listen because after a while i'm just like "ENOUGH"

I only listen to bands that score below a 9.0.

Btw, I demand a ksh review of this National album!

Oh man, that's great dude. Definitely getting Sleigh Bells tomorrow. Maybe I'll grab this too. I imagine it'll be relatively cheap. If I get it, I'll review it here by Friday, FRR-style.

A review of Sleigh Bells as well would be a smorgasfeast of indieness.

sadness without cause is so much more unbearable than sadness with cause

even though i've never listened to this band i feel like that if there's a band about sadness without cause, that is definitely a worthwhile thing to make music about and they're one some deep levels of sadness exploration of which i fully approve.

this got a better grade than Boxer, wasn't expecting that.

The vinyl of this is nice. 180 gram, gatefold, and the cover actually looks better in person.

any songs about girls named karen and perverse sex?

LOL @ the idea of the National singing about perverse sex. What, did they decide to try a non-missionary position or something?

alfred do you just need to find a fancy way of saying that they write melancholy songs? because, i dunno, what of robert wyatt or scott walker or other folks who write lots of melancholy songs? where's the difference in principle?

I think this is better than Boxer, that didn't really live up to the promise or strength of its first two tracks. This is more solid - but Bloodbuzz Ohio is still a peak.

LOL @ the idea of the National singing about perverse sex. What, did they decide to try a non-missionary position or something?

ballerina on the coffee table cock in hand? isn't that a bit perverse? is ballerina a verb or a noun in that case?

lol at the imagine that popped into my mind when i considered it being a verb

Well, the full line is:
"It's a common fetish for a doting man/
to ballerina on the coffee table cock in hand"

That move ruined Billy Squier's career.

So basically Matt Berninger's fetish is to climb up on his coffee table, pose like a ballerina, then whip out his cock?

Good to know.

Number two in UK midweeks - how did that happen??

Totally didn't get it on first couple of listens but after headphones+wallow it's sounding better, "Terrible Love" is still a weirdly underwhelming opener though.

"Terrible Love" is still a weirdly underwhelming opener though.

It's a shame, because that's one of their finest songs, as the band demonstrated during their Jimmy Fallon performance. The production on the album version is just so goofy and meaningless, though, it really distances you from the song.

That's my only beef with the album, really. The production is erratic and overworked, fussy where Alligator and Boxer were poised and natural. It just kind of breaks the spell for me.

They're on Jools Holland tonight (along with LCD Soundsystem)

Am I the only one who's a huge fan of the band that hasn't quite connected with the new disc yet?

No, i'm with you on that one. It's nice and all but it definitely hasn't grabbed me like the previous two albums.

http://www.theproducersperspective.com/.a/6a00e54ef2e21b883301156f477fbc970c-pip

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/8558/wastec.jpg

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/3448/p4knational.jpg

Fucking brilliant on Jools Holland just then.

Cock in hand?

Sadly no. Looks like instant BBC budget cuts from Dave etc meant no coffee table could be provided.

Also, I've never really been much up on who is in the band other than Berninger, those two guitar playing brothers be srsly Nick Stahl looking mofos.

Berninger is one of those guys who is actually pretty odd looking but somehow manages to be incredibly sexy.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lYo4EA2IR3M/SHuL0hWwXFI/AAAAAAAABAg/VP5-1BNOrV4/s400/matt+berninger+the+national+t+in+the+park+2008.JPG

Guy I work with just loaned me the album for a listen...damn, it's gorgeous (well, as gorgeous as sad can be without being flashy, lol). It always takes me a few songs to stop being transported by the mere sound of his voice.

I'm giving it an unobjective, purely emotional YAY

managing sexy quite well imo

http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/entertainment/08/02/22_berninger_lg.jpg

Certain resemblances to someone more famous:

http://alexanderz.net/scotus/images/roberts.jpg

EW DNW.

In some photos he looks a little bit like the 'Breaking Bad' guy...that's a better resemblance than Justice Robbo, surely.

Like here, sorta?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1028/1135834950_f60f999c8b.jpg

No Justice Roberts in sight

Brian Cranston. That's who I meant. The Breaking Bad Guy.

OK he doesn't look that odd in these at all but I swear on other pics I have seen he has. Still WS without hesitation.

WS for sure. But you are right, he doesn't take consistently good pics...sometimes he looks like, you know, soccer dad.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZAsFWvtdKLU/0.jpg

And this barely looks like him at all. Shapeshifter! I cast thee out!

http://popwreckoning.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/day1_NATIONAL.jpg

Okay, I'll stop the picspam now. Sorry, got carried away.

Nice big advertisement for this record on p4k a day after they rated it high

Yeah, that's already been pointed out upthread. Also, who cares?

Also, who cares?

Number None

except for me & van smack!

Nah, it's just that where else would you expect them to advertise? No evidence of some massive conspiracy.

Wow, 4AD placed a big ad on a high traffic, highly targeted website for a well anticipated album on the day it was released! Conspiracy!

a website that also caters to exactly the kind of people who might listen to The National. It's scary stuff.

i have ads blocked via Chrome, looks like i'm missing out on all the fun.

The ad thing was on infowars earlier

For what its worth, I'm not really a p4k kind of dude, but I love this album. I mean, seriously, I don't remember the last time I consciously accessed P4k (as opposed to clicking on links to reviews from all sources, out of interest/research, etc), but this is a fine release by a band I didn't know much about. Should I listen to more of their stuff (I only have a couple of songs from earlier releases)?

lol, i looked up infowars...

Should I listen to more of their stuff (I only have a couple of songs from earlier releases)?

Haven't heard the new one, but Boxer is solid, and a lot of people like Alligator, so...

I will listen to the 2018 Deluxe 3xCD Reissue of Alligator if the band promises to use this photo as the album artwork:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/d0468d30b6.jpg

knowing their aesthetic it's very possible

http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp18/asp3182/animated%20animals/alligator.gif

Spotted this in an interview w/ Berninger and now it's bothering me. I feel like I know this one...but nothing comes to mind. Who's he talking about?

One of my favorite bands, who I won’t mention, named a record after the singer’s first-born child, named the single after them, and the kid was on the cover. It was just such a drag.

so, i ended up buying a Yob record instead of this. that means no review. sorry. perhaps there'll be a review of something else by me in the future

feeling half awake in a fake empire btw

Review the Yob!

You should really just make a dedicated ksh review thread...

loooool, i think ppl would kill me. maybe i'll start a second tumblr

i streamed this today and it sounded good for the most part. i still can't really figure out how i feel about these guys.

Finally got around to hearing this and really, really, really like it. I was one of those people that felt like Boxer was a bit of a one-note disappointment, but this is hitting me in all the right ways.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

tho my first impression is that it falls off considerably in the second half.

I was starting to think that, but I really think it picks up again in a big way with the last two tracks!

i'll re-listen. i think i made it all the way through, but my attention was really waning at around the track no. eight mark (it didn't take long, either, since i loved tracks one -- six).

"England" is the most beautiful thing they've ever recorded -- stately in a John Cale way.

Alfred OTM.

So why not listen to prime-era Cale instead, then?

xp

and a much better closer than "Vanderslice Cozzoli's Pizza" or whatever it's called; I only heard it once.

xpost

So why not listen to prime-era Cale instead, then?

I have and do.

yep alfred otm as usual. also loving "Anyone's Ghost."

going through this now - beringer's voice sounds really echoey

TS: Matt Berninger vs. Beringer vineyards/wines.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dOV6ChmrFTM/SHc9FWBbXAI/AAAAAAAAAbY/Am4Q9eQdQ-g/s400/national.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Sj1DoRe1tjA/SiF0PR5x-vI/AAAAAAAAAC0/8QZQMzf_RpQ/s400/Beringer+Chardonnay

Notice how the wine casts a golden glow over his indie-riffic hair.

yeah england was a highlight. guess i'll buy this.

So why not listen to prime-era Cale instead, then?

xp

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, May 13, 2010 5:51 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

btw i can't believe someone made this goofy argument

"someone"

yes, someone, anyone who posts on this site

was searching for a site that would let me buy the CD + download... are those kind of sites still around?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5C2WVCruPM

yes, that's Sufjan

someone in the comments to a video of the band playing "Apartment Story" on Ferguson back in 2007 pointed out how good their drummer is -- it's true, he's fantastic

That's been a pretty constant refrain for the past few years (to the point where I think there was even some ILX backlash against the National's drummer)

i think it's because he's the only one in the band -- except for their singer -- who stands out as being exceptionally "good" at what he does

or, just, more conspicuous in his "goodness"

Berninger's an expert at being tall.

also: rocking back and forth, just barely

man, this shit's making me nostalgic for summer 2007

Drummer seems a bit low in the mix on this album though? One of the disappointing things about it.

yeah I don't like how berninger's voice is so echoey, how are we supposed to ache vicariously if he's not breathing into our ears??

did anyone get the vinyl? Im a bit disappointed by the CD packaging and the absence of a lyric sheet

I bought the vinyl. Its pretty nice, 180g violet vinyl on 2 lps, and nice heavy gatefold. No lyrics though.

On Saturday May 15th, ZYNC from American Express presents an evening with The National benefiting Red Hot. This VEVO event on YouTube will be streamed LIVE at http://www.youtube.com/thenationalvevo from the Brooklyn Academy of Music at 8PM EST / 5PM PST. We are excited to announce that D.A. Pennebaker (director of DON'T LOOK BACK, MONTEREY POP, and THE WAR ROOM, among other amazing films) and Chris Hegedus (http://phfilms.com/ ) will be directing a LIVE-to-the-internet, webcast of the show.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNationalVEVO

here a video for that, wish i could go but will try and watch:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNationalVEVO#p/u/0/5pdOwMKBlgE

Anyone know what other tracks from the High Violet sessions are floating around?

There was a b-side 'Sin Eaters' to Bloodbuzz Ohio and a bonus track 'Walk Off' which came with the iTunes purchase of the album. Are there any others?

so the live streaming from Brooklyn Academy is now on You Tube.

getting a late roxy music vibe w/ guitar on this album.

lol Sufjan

(thanks, btw, Bee OK, for the heads up -- watching now -- video & audio quality is excellent)

yeah, it great looking. i feel like i'm watching HD TV.

your welcome! this is pretty cool for free.

oh man, so w/ you there. band's doing real well too!

just bought the new record hours ago & have only got to hear a little bit of it so far

one of the dudes looks like Dan Deacon, no joke

lol it IS the dude from the Arcade Fire on stage

lol they sure do have quite a few people on stage with them.

woah dude just went Sigur Ros w/ the guitar

i did not know this band had two sets of brothers in the band. i thought the guitar players looked like bros and so i looked it up. lead singer is the only non-brother in the band.

yep! that's all true

waiting for Matt to fall over by leaning into the mike too much

that was pretty fucking cool. i want to see a show at the Brooklyn Academy, that place is beautiful.

will they come back for more?

yeah, sure there'll be an encore

pretty sure i just saw Julia Stiles in the audience

i still can't really figure out how i feel about these guys.

OTM. I want to like them more than I do. They're real good, but not that much fun.

didn't realize Matt was insane, but i'm cool w/ it

we let Sufjan sing backup
all things go
all things go

"Terrible Love" is a great song to end with, i liked that he went out into the audience. almost two hours, i'm going to try and catch these guys when they play Los Angeles later this year.

his going out into the audience was pretty great

listening to "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Afraid Of Everyone" again & again, but i have a feeling this might become my favorite indie record of the year so far

forgot about Sleigh Bells. second favorite, then

pretty sure i just saw Julia Stiles in the audience

that was her.

http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/41000/Julia-Stiles--41028.jpg

big The Nat'l fan, this julia stiles.

opening of "England" similar to opening of Illinois imo

someone caught that upthread too

every time i hear the solo drum line opening sorrow i think i'm about to hear "who loves you pretty baby/who's gonna help you through the night?"

What's up with this Matt Berninger dude and his constant, unchanging live performance stance? Up close to microphone, both hands grabbing, eyes closed, looking so fucking earnest. This wouldn't annoy me as much if he wasn't like this in EVERY PICTURE:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=matt+berninger+live&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Up close to microphone, both hands grabbing, eyes closed, looking so fucking earnest.

I bet that's how he writes lyrics too.

Reminds me of the dude from Staind, tbh.

Reminds me of the dude from Staind, tbh.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Monday, May 17, 2010 11:39 AM

looooool. i loved Staind from 2001 to, say, 2003-2004

and i now own High Violet O_O

I am totally serious, The National are the indie-rock version of Staind. Too many parallels to count -- dirge-y, downtrodden songs; moody atmospheres with songs that generally sound the same; self-pitying and/or self-loathing lyrics; and of course, the vocalists' voices and stage posturing. Staind may have more downtuned guitars, and the National more Sufjan-esque instrumentation, but they are basically the same band writing for different audiences.

Compare, plz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ZmTz3wIPc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_yskRDrmqI

I don't really fuck w/ Staind post-14 Shades, and I'm not sure whether I think your thesis is accurate or not, but there are similarities between the two bands for sure.

dirge-y, downtrodden songs; moody atmospheres with songs that generally sound the same; self-pitying and/or self-loathing lyrics; and of course, the vocalists' voices and stage posturing

the smiths
the walker brothers
roy orbison
about 900 billion other bands

The Smiths are all jangly guitars and Morrissey's upbeat, cheerful sounding vocals. I'll admit the lyrics are self-pitying but that's about it for the similarities to either band. Try again!

i know those don't match the description perfectly but if you're going to oversimplify, so am i (ie "the vocalists' voices" for these two bands are nothing alike)

the walker brothers
roy orbison

You've gotta be kidding about these.

I would think something like Tindersticks would come to mind as a similar comparison (maybe more so to the National than to Staind, of course) but you're grasping at straws with these examples.

Anyway... fair play. I'm sure there are other bands that fit the bill.

xp

anyways i think the National is a lot more like Hank Williams: songs with words and notes; sometimes use the a-minor chord, guitars, died of alcoholism

died of alcoholism

irl lol

man, i know i've been hating on indie all year, and i'm sure i've already posted this, but this is great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5C2WVCruPM

The chart maker of record reports that the Brooklyn band-- who have been nothing short of inescapable in the press and online for a couple weeks-- hit number three with their latest album, High Violet, which sold 51,000 copies.

http://pitchfork.com/news/38856-the-national-crash-the-billboard-album-chart-at-number-three/

That's great!

No surprise -- this looked like a top fifteen debut at least.

It still amazes me, years after the biz's sales peaked, that in 2010 an album selling 51,000 qualifies as a top five debut.

http://steynian.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/jump_the_shark.png

Yeah, 51,000 copies in September 1998 got you #22, and in June 1999 it got you #31.

curious to see what numbers LCD will do

10,000,000 units moved, first week. broke all kinds of records.

was no. 2 overall for the week, tho, just behind Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 35.

lol I kind of agree with staggerlee - this album feels like self-parody. berninger hasn't matured much as a lyricist.

They have a pretty good band name; other than that I don't care for them much and cannot for the life of me believe how much hype they receive from Pitchfork on a daily basis.

Loved Alligator and liked Boxer and Sad Songs. There's only one song on this one that grabbed me at all ("you and your sister live in a lemon world" if I'm remembering it correctly) and the rest was a thorough snoozefest. I feel like the National were a much better guitar-bass-drums band than a piano-strings-drums band - Boxer was marred badly by the fussy production and this one is murdered by it. Such a letdown.

otm - national have moved into that period where they stop writing hooks and are content to just stand around noodling

xp Agree with this mostly. I still enjoy their albums, but its been a diminishing return since Alligator. They are great live though, which supports what you say about the production/strings.

What the hell? There are more hooks on High Violet than on Boxer and Alligator put together. One reason it is their best album.

agreed. otoh, i have to go back and give boxer and alligator another try. i just didn't get this band at that point, but i love the first half of the new disc.

Yeah that's why I said I agree mostly. I do think this album has plenty of hooks.

so far i really like "Anyone's Ghost," "Afraid of Everyone," and "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

all i'm gonna say at this point is i dislike the production on terrible love a great, great deal--esp as compared to the video that was on p4k tv. it's still a cool song.

I agree with the criticism of the production on Terrible Love, though I think the quality of the song comes through despite it. Its weird they would choose such claustrophic production only for the leadoff track but nothing else.

poor drummer--watch the p4k video his part on that song is tremendous

i think i know what they were going for but seeing the live arrangement murdered it for me

The live performance killed. I was particularly disappointed that the guitar was so muffled. Sounds like they recorded it underwater.

they're basically interpol without the high pitched bits aren't they? interpol for 40somethings. i like them though.

the National at number three in the nation, never thought i would see the day.

For anyone who hasn't got them, here's some links to download the Black Sessions they did in 2005 and also in 2003 and the White Sessions they did in 2007 for a French radio show.

I feel like the National were a much better guitar-bass-drums band than a piano-strings-drums band - Boxer was marred badly by the fussy production and this one is murdered by it.

FYI, this is commonly known in indie rock as The Sufjan Effect.

The Sufjan Effect

Yes. It's becoming more and more evident that the Illinois record has destroyed music.

In the spirit of three stars
The Sufjan thing that ruined records
Then to Brooklyn
Oh, shit
The fussy production, the sound that bores and bores
Oh, Sufjan involved himself
That indie dude with a project
Or who had a thing, 50 states
Only two
Destroying records, all things go

What the hell? There are more hooks on High Violet than on Boxer and Alligator put together. One reason it is their best album.

― medelman, Thursday, May 20, 2010 11:07 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark

upon a further listen I do agree, however I think the difference is that on previous albums songs were more compartmentalized, and they let their hooks build up force and momentum and gravitas - it seems on this album they're trying to remove the seams, but the end result is this baggy amorphous midtempo runthrough w/ no definition

maybe I need to go through another sad period of my life to fully understand it like I did w/ Boxer...it's definitely not clicking for me right now

For anyone who hasn't got them, here's some links to download the Black Sessions they did in 2005 and also in 2003 and the White Sessions they did in 2007 for a French radio show.

― groovypanda
This is the Guitar-bass-drums band I love. Murder me, Nationael!

i finally got my hands on this and it sounds marvelous on CD.

i see they also have a new video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfySK7CLEEg

Ha, I haven't even played the video, but that still is such a perfect caricature of the band.

so far, i like Boxer much more than this

that still is such a perfect caricature of the band.

"Bartender, I'm sorrowful without cause. Gimme a shot of killer bees."

oh wow that video. it takes berninger's awkardness as a front man and focuses it, magnifies it, lays it out absolutely plain and clear for all to see. i can't decide if it's brilliant or terrible.

just sort of fast-forwarded through that video but . . . someone thought that was a good idea & paid for that to be made?

"i was afraid i'd eat your brains / cause i'm evil"

That lyric wouldn't be so terrible if Berninger didn't sing it as if he ate brains in real life yet hated himself in the morning.

been through this a couple times now. might like it a bit more than boxer. still have terribly mixed feelings about this band but at the end of the day i kind of totally respect the approach they take to musicianship and arranging.

:-/ keep playing a lot of the first half again and again & feel totally ambivalent about it

even, like, "Lemonworld" and "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" are just \(O_o)/ to me

'vanderlyle crybaby geeks' is the one I jam the most

dunno dudes, haven't listened to this too much all the way through -- i've been approaching it in a much more scattershot way -- but even the individual songs aren't as compelling to me as, say, "Fake Empire" or "Mistaken for Strangers." feels like a more bloodless, less compelling version of their aesthetic

the whole album feels like an extended take of 'fake empire' ...

they're never going to make a song as good as mistaken for strangers again most likely. although bloodbuzz ohio is really, really great.

favorite song is the live version of "Afraid of Everyone" from Letterman

xp if mistaken for strangers is your fav. song you should check out 'alligator', some great rockers

when he starts barking "your voice is swallowing my so-so-soul" towards the end, it's great

xp yeah i gotta do that at some point

hmmm - not sure 'alligator' is more in line with "mistaken for strangers" (which kinda stands out in their catalogue for its its post-punkishness). Great song in any case.

Love their (missing) rocky side and that's the last time I'll bang on about it. "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" came on shuffle today and I was all "who is this rotten National-wannabe band?" until the chorus when I realized my mistake ...

... or theirs.

saw them last night and it was...underwhelming? a little goes a long way with them; their albums are pretty much the perfect length but I really realized how much their songs sound alike after an hour of live performance. when he really started screaming and flailing around it got more exciting. but, it was also at the fox theater in oakland, which despite being really beautiful, has acoustics that are absolutely shit, no weight, no bass, just thin midrange everywhere.

still playing this sort of piecemeal -- a song here, another song there -- and even most of the individual songs aren't clicking. when Matt sings, "I'll explain everything to the geeks!" i just go in "what the fucking hell is this" mode

and i love love love Boxer, so

love that part--love the majority of this album

i think the key is that they play up the urban sad-sack thing so much that it's possible to get a little distance from it.

i really haven't paid attention to the lyrics except for random lines, so when he sings, "I'll explain everything to the geeks!" it just seems like it's coming out of nowhere and i want to hurl my monitor at a wall

the Letterman performance of "Afraid of Everyone" destroys the album version of the song, imo. not even close to being as awesome w/o Matt shouting the lines at the end

when he sings, "I'll explain everything to the geeks!" it just seems like it's coming out of nowhere and i want to hurl my monitor at a wall

This is commonly known as Paul Banks Syndrome.

i actually really like a bunch of Interpol lyrics, but there are many "love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye" moments too

"she can read she can read she can read she's bad"

then again, Caribou has "sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun"

This is hilarious, if you've not read it before:

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/top-ten-worst-lines-on-interpols-first-album.htm

i really haven't paid attention to the lyrics except for random lines, so when he sings, "I'll explain everything to the geeks!" it just seems like it's coming out of nowhere and i want to hurl my monitor at a wall

― ksh, Friday, May 28, 2010 12:58 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

The thing is, I like that line, because he implicates himself as one of said geeks. It's self-deprecating, and that's why I think it's clever.

yeah, i'm not going to shit on this anymore until i listen more closely -- i don't feel like i've given it enough attention yet

Feel free to shit away once you've listened, naturally.

hahahaha -- sure, if it's bad, i will. but my complaints so far have basically amounted to, "i've been half-listening to this, and it's doing a bad job engaging me although I haven't been engaging with it!" which is stupid. a band spends that much time putting a record together, the least I can do as a listener who chose to buy it is to listen to it at least somewhat carefully

yeah i mean i am frankly shocked at how popular this band seems to be since their stuff is not immediate in the slightest.

which is another way of saying i don't think you can throw this on here and there and expect it to grab you

good luck ksh, the nat'l needs you

:-D

Metal needs you, ksh. Don't give into the dark side. Go get high, and set yourself on fire. And listen to metal.

\m/ O_O \m/

just burst out laughing

don't worry, i just finished up listening to Baroness's Blue Record a little while ago. love that record. now it's High Violet though. want to see if cad is right

This is growing on me, but I still hate "England."

their stuff is not immediate in the slightest.

― call all destroyer

Are you joking? Alligator is full of kablooie, and at least half the songs on Boxer are WHOO!

I've been drinking, btw.

Drunk Staggerlee likes to file complaints!

sorry staggerlee u will need to explain ur position to me

Everyone seems to love/hate different songs from this album. Seems like a good sign to me.

this record induces clinical depression

sorry staggerlee u will need to explain ur position to me

― call all destroyer

My position is: I've been drinking.

Also: I don't think I had to warm up to Secret Meeting, All The Wine, Mr. November, Squaklor Victoria, Mistaken for Strangers, Start a war, Lit Up, Murder me Rachael, probably some others; they were immediately accessible. There's some other stuff (Geese of Beveryl Road, City Middle, Racing like a Pro) that's among my faves that was less immediate, but it's not like they're some esoteric rarefied thing you have to approach with a ph.D or something - they're a nice sometimes mopey rock band.

That's my position! *slams fist on table* and I'm sticking to it!

(appy polly logies for typos.)

dying laughing & thanking you

i can only speak to boxer and high violet but their commitment to really minimal drumming and wallpapery guitar parts has always made it hard for me to immediately dig their stuff. fake empire, mistaken for strangers, bloodbuzz are obv exceptions but still.

Get Alligator! It's pretty kablooie.

Then again, maybe these guys ain't your thing. Maybe you should get a friend who's really into them to make a CD-80 for you.

(For hawt drumming and truckload more present guitars [which I love love love] search: White Session and Black Sessions [2003 and 2005])

nah i actually like them a good deal just seems like we differ on their particular charms

i'm just shocked that the National sell more records than LCD Soundsystem in their first week. LCD just seems to be so much more popular than the National. i'm happy for both bands however.

Squaklor Victoria

much improved song title - thankig u

hahahahaha

This is hilarious, if you've not read it before:

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/top-ten-worst-lines-on-interpols-first-album.htm

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Friday, May 28, 2010 3:45 PM (3 days ago)

hahaha, not sure i ever got through the whole piece, but i've definitely looked at this before -- thanks for reminding me of it!

Having "Runaway" stuck in your head is extremely different from having pretty much anything else by anyone ever stuck in your head.

i am going to ruin this band for everyone with one word. wait for it: coldplay. thank you.

nope, plus Coldplay is not as bad as ILM think. though i don't like them like i use to.

the National have a very different vibe about them.

I have to agree - the self-deprecating humour keeps me listening to their stuff even when it threatens to get mawkish.

i am going to ruin this band for everyone with one word. wait for it: coldplay. thank you.

― akm, Tuesday, June 15, 2010 7:56 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wow u totally blew my mind

youtube.com/watch?v=YlOyl8m5X00#t=3m18s

um: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOyl8m5X00#t=3m18s

you broke ILXor

Listening to High Violet again right now, and it really is holding up. Not Coldplay, though, at all. That's wrong.

no but live they kind of were. I think maybe the venue did them a big disservice, it seemed very passionless, even the parts that seemed like they should be kind of rawkus were too smoothed out

you've seen coldplay live?

you didn't know that Chr1s M4rt1n posts to ILX??

Somehow this album crept up bigtime on me and suddenly (like a day ago) I realized that I was falling in love with it.

My favorite line on this thing is: "And I'll try to find something on this thing that means nothing enough" sends chills down my spine.

Oh yeah, this came out. I'd forgotten already.

yeah, only album of theirs (of the last 3) that hasn't grown on me at all.

Actually this thing sounded really good to me the first time I heard it but now every time a song comes up on iTunes my first reaction is to wonder what this boring indie song that doesn't sound anything like the rest of my music is.

Boxer grew on me after a few listens; this hasn't. In fact, I listened to it last night and the first half just seemed so plodding and unmemorable. I do like "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Lemonworld," though, which thankfully roused me before I fell asleep.

not a fan, but i watched that "documentary" about them because i like watching bands in the studio and from what i've read their songwriting/recording process is torturous. it was terrible...mostly arty subway shots and some live performance, and every now and then an unexplained clip of them recording an accordion part or something. during the "interviews" the background music is mixed way over the dialogue so you can't make anything out. maybe it would seem insightful and fascinating if you've never seen a recording studio before?

also love, "It takes an ocean not to break" at the end of "Terrible Love." So huge.

it's all a bit flat, downbeat and one-note. but bloodbuzz ohio is a monster song, and the lead singer's voice has its appeal.

OTOH, i've never been a big fan of the band before this disc. this disc is pretty good.

i agree his voice is one-note, and one thing i've had to get over is how basically dull his vocals are. but it's not bad, and def reminds me of Interpol (mostly first album). so has anyone come up with a good genre name for all this indie folk (Midlake, National, kinda Bon Iver + Iron & Wine...)?

in what way are the national "folk?"

to my ears they sound like a folkier Midlake and clearly are cribbing heavily from Sufjan's very indie-folk style

or maybe not. i just kinda assumed without doing a lot of thinking about it that they were of a piece with a lot of these other bands

I haven't heard this one much but I wouldn't describe the others as folky at all and live they're much heavier and more rocky than they are on record imo.

Surely Midlake are way folkier than The National?

^^ this

they're nowhere near as ornate or orchestral as sufjan. they really don't seem folky to me at all--they have a monster of a drummer and a bunch of muted, textured electric guitars.

Maybe. "Runaway" sounds really folk to me, especially the opening

Surely you hear folk in that song, right?

Also, "Fake Empire," sounds really folky to me.

i mean if all ballads sound like folk to you

lol, i don't know what that means. folk ballads sound like folk to me.

(not to mention ballad implies a folk influence afaik)

maybe not. idk. curious what other people think.

Boxer grew on me after a few listens; this hasn't. In fact, I listened to it last night and the first half just seemed so plodding and unmemorable. I do like "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Lemonworld," though, which thankfully roused me before I fell asleep.

― jaymc, Thursday, July 15, 2010 3:32 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

yeah, I eventually came to really like Boxer. I gave this about a month's break and it still sounds as plodding as it did on the first listen. my takeaways are "bloodbuzz ohio" and "vanderbilt crybaby geeks"

Seems ironic to interpret it as folk when it has the least guitar work out of any of their albums, and when I think folk I think lots of strumming and picking. This album barely has the muscle the guitars have brought in the past (barely has guitars at all beyond light strumming mixed into the background) which gives it the samey, blend-together felling. I still like the album though because I like their subtle cinematic sense of melody, as frustrated as I was with it initially.

Settled.

national are like a cross between non-country-non-americana AMC and bad seeds ballads, but not as good as either. I like them ok.

I heard "England" the other day and was pretty impressed with that track. But akm's description above is totally OTM - throw in some Tindersticks influence as well. Nothing wrong with them, but to me they're another band that reflects but doesn't transcend their influences.

♫ we're half awake, at a High Violet listening party ♫

it's all a bit flat, downbeat and one-note.

I think this is its strength, this sense of coherence, even if it's largely a mournful one. I hesitate to get all overly-descriptive, but there is a persistent melancholy twinge throughout the songs that feels like emotional DNA. I know this kind of thing is not for everyone, but for me, right now, in summer 2010, this is unremittingly haunting and, well, beautiful.

This is kind of an indie rock version of ambient drone or drone metal. Sure its a sound, but above all, it's a feeling. Ha, I don't know why I feel like I should apologise for that, but it's pretty much my take right now.

definitey a "melancholy twinge."

it's not folk. it's . . . dourcore.

Ha. But you know, honestly, I think we're underselling the textural folds within that cohesive "dourcore" framework. It's consistent, for sure. And different songs keep coming to the fore, which is usually a sign of a good album. But I'm listening right now, and there are more hooks here than there are on The-Dream's* (to me, disappointing) latest!

*And the reason I seemingly arbitrarily mention The-Dream is that I was far more excited by Terius than I was The National prior to the release of these two albums.

yeah, i mean, as i say, i do like the new disc (especially side-one; not sure if the songs are stronger, or just that the overall vibe and tone of the album begins to wear after the first side). i need to reach backward and re-listen to their earlier albums.

Me too, actually.

they should release a really really happy, life-affirming record next!

perhaps an album-length duet with the really happy, life-affirming the arcade fire.

the national arcade fire.

http://i28.tinypic.com/72vhqw.jpg

I'm just imagining handclaps and toy xylophones.

Same vocal delivery though.

TRACKLIST

01 Awesome Love
02 Joy
03 Anyone's Roast
04 Lotta Faith
05 Chillin of Everyone
06 Winebuzz Nebraska
07 Appleworld
08 Homebody
09 Conversation 17
10 Canada
11 Vanderlyle Rockin Ppl

That picture

"Yeah sure, there is a UFO behind me, ha ha ha"

gotta say, there are, predictably, way more pictures of Berninger being a saddo than pictures of him smiling

http://www.paulatsai.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/matt.jpg

if my fans were that lame I'd be sad all the time too

are those truffle fries, btw?

ok, that picture is funny.

so ksh are we not allowed to discuss this record anymore or something

The National should do Yo Gabba Gabba!

Highlighted "Exit" sign buttresses "dourcore" image, tbf

hope "dourcore" catches on, btw

"I'll explain everything to the geeks"

http://www.shimmysideways.com/Portals/1/temp/Yo-Gabba-Gabba---Gooble-1.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Aq3yHITOvWA/RvV22o30t_I/AAAAAAAAAEk/4Z33LsNNxSM/s400/National.jpg

hope "dourcore" catches on, btw

Yeah, I'm warming to it, altho if it becomes a total perjorative like electrodribble, it will lose its cachet very quickly.

hope "dourcore" catches on, btw

me too, since i just made it up.

domain name's still available

Can I say again how much I am enjoying this album still?

Btw, is electrodribble.com available?

Oops! Google Chrome could not find electrodribble.com

guess so!

Great a sub-genre of sadcore.

So dourcour is specifically sad, defeated lyrics with defeated delivery?

could also be sullen, gloomy, severe, and stern. key artists in this exciting new genre: the nat'l; arcade fire.

See, this is why we're all fucked.<---- Dourcore, amiright?

I hear a lot of Kurt Wagner in Berninger's vocals. Are Lambchop protodourcore?

they're in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmEHauRTzJI

this song is happy! members of the National are singing backup!

omg lol @ the drummer, who looks super depressed. and the guitarist(?)! smile! it's 1 2 3 4!

Carl Newman looks like he's having a blast! wake up! life is short!

ok wait at least the bassist(?) looks into it! clap!!!

Boxer grew on me after a few listens; this hasn't. In fact, I listened to it last night and the first half just seemed so plodding and unmemorable.

I agree. For a record that strikes so many of the same notes as Boxer, it just doesn't cast the same spell. Part of it, I think, is that High Violet lacks the same sense of place as Boxer. Boxer painted this really vivid picture of a lone apartment, and juggled a few simple motifs (a couple, a chair, some drinks). With a few broad strokes, that record created this really livable world—an escape.

High Violet doesn't have those same escapist charms. Geographically, it's all over the place (even the song titles give a sense of that scope: "Bloodbuzz Ohio," "England," "Lemonworld," whatever that is). It seems a little scattered in both its scope and its concerns, so I've really had a hard time connecting with it.

i'm pretty sure this album is designed to be treated as one moody, uniform piece, but strangely i can't listen to it that way. i always skip 'terrible love' because i have a problem with how it sounds, and then listen to tracks 2,3, and 4 before skipping to the last two or three. it's a deliberately understated album and it's impressive how restrained a lot of it sounds. but i only feel truly connected to small parts of it. there's a lot of deep, intricate layering going on, but it's the album's veneer of simplicity (also deliberate, mind you) that tends to stick with me, and ultimately bore me a little. keeping in line with this thought, high violet is the first national album where i've viewed the vocals as the weakness rather than the absolute highlight. too often the monochromatic delivery of the words is at uncomfortable odds with the complexity of the arrangements - all part of the band's plan, i'm sure, but it somehow doesn't jive with me.

heard this album like a dozen times at work. amidst all the other complete trash they make us play, it sounds fantastic. going to buy it.

http://www.undertheradarmag.com/uploads/cover_images/ceb4d28bc64f9d15fb64a607ee837c69.jpg

OMG this is classic:

"I will admit that my lyrics often come from the perspective of a college-educated, middle-aged, anxiety-filled, average white guy, stressed-out by having a job, keeping a job and being a grown-up," says Mr. Berninger, lead singer and lyricist.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704164904575421813516451790.html?mod=djemLifeStyle_h

Were I the photographer on that shoot, I'd have done everything in my power to keep Berninger from devouring that child.

having first seen that on the newsstand in a newbury comics, i can confirm that that is not a shop

I actually just bought this Saturday and when I got it home and put on 'Terrible Love' I thought something was wrong with my turntable. Also, my vinyl isn't violet. Good record, though.

the beginning of terrible love sounds really familiar. I thought I was thinking of VU's "herion," and I went back and listened and that might be it, but I feel like there's something even closer in the indie cannon.

to add to some of my earlier thoughts, i think this record in its self-consciousness and tendency to be a little too uniform, strays a bit from the unhinged feel of the earlier stuff where you get the sense that something unpredictable could surface at any moment.

I was wondering about the production on Terrible Love. Why so bad / distorted? Does anyone think it works?

imo the production is kinda the idea of the song being at the brink of bursting at the seams, sorta the personification of the lyric 'it takes an ocean not to break' in re: the terrible relationship in the song or wathever

i think it works i guess, but it seems a little less than subtle for my tastes

yeah it just seemed like a conscious aesthetic decision to make the drums sound like that. i've gotten used to it but there's some really intricate playing that is totally lost in the noise.

I like the album well enough, but I'm not sure if I like how Berninger's vocals are mixed at times... I think I'm just generally not a fan of vocals that are mixed lower in the track, so the blend in more. I dislike that. I think Beninger is more effective when he's separated somewhat from the rest of the track.

Extended edition being released late November with this second disc. Hoping the new version of Terrible Love is more like that original live one.

CD2:

01 Terrible Love (Alternate Version)
02 Wake Up Your Saints
03 You Were a Kindness
04 Walk Off
05 Sin-Eaters
06 Bloodbuzz Ohio (Live on The Current)
07 Anyone's Ghost (Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music)
08 England (Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music)

nothing really wrong with it, and it def. has some high points, but this album somehow never clicked with me as a whole like Boxer did

Hope they do their fans a solid and offer that as a standalone package, if not, I'll have learned to never but their albums when they first come out.

i got bored with this pretty quick...been the case with all their albums.

yes, in the end, not as good as any of the other albums. pleasant enough.

keeps popping up on the ipod today...keeps getting skipped.

11.22.10

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NZKt6bsnL._SS500_.jpg

I love this album, but fuck you guys for releasing a special edition right after I buy the regular one.

Looks like they listened to everyone complaining about the production on Terrible Love.

finally actually got around to listening to this. it's pretty good! its sort of like a brooklyn-indie Boatman's Call.

I can listen to Lemonworld or England on repeat 4-eva.

Still liking this album, genuinely don't understand a lot of the meh on ILM toward it.

Don't think the meh was confined to ILM

Not being sure one way or the other, I just checked Metacritic—I wouldn't call an average score of 84 out of 100 meh exactly.

Wasn't talking about the critics either. Think the general reaction among fans has been fairly muted.

Okay, but just speaking for myself, I wouldn't have considered myself a fan of the band, but I am a fan of High Violet. I'm not upset or angry with the ILM massif, btw, just finding it difficult to understand the largely underwhelming reaction itt. More like puzzlement, really.

it's easier to hate them than it is to critically listen to them?

i mean of all the albums that could be liked or hated on ilm, this is really obviously in the hate category

i really like this one and didn't like their older stuff (except for "fake empire")

To put it simply, i listened and re-listened to both Alligator and Boxer but i haven't felt like putting this one on since a couple of weeks after it came out.

Yet I'm still listening to it, and neither of those two ever made me return to them more than a couple of times each. So, still confused. I mean, what specifically is so easy to hate on? That it's mopey? That shuffling mid tempo thing? I mean, sure, but I feel this low key tension throughout a lot the songs, a strained reticence, and an overall cohesiveness, plus it's by far their most melodically interesting album (admittedly, I've barely listened to their earlier stuff... but there's a reason for that). Anyway, shrug. It doesn't really matter: if I make a EOY list, it's going in the top five likely as not.

I think, for a lot of fans, self included, it suffers for having neither the singular vision and feel of, say Boxer, nor the variety of Alligator. It's stuck in a nowhere land of unmemorable medium tempo plodders. If I made, say, a 14 track favorite National compilation, the only two to make it from this would be Afraid of Everyone and Bloodbuzz Ohio.

it's easier to hate them than it is to critically listen to them?

― call all destroyer, Monday, November 8, 2010 9:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i mean of all the albums that could be liked or hated on ilm, this is really obviously in the hate category

― call all destroyer, Monday, November 8, 2010 9:50 PM (Yesterday)

So, still confused. I mean, what specifically is so easy to hate on?

white indie rock from brooklyn that's more or less well-regarded by critics?

lol thx

http://i51.tinypic.com/2v15jys.gif

Yeah, I guess I assumed we'd all progressed beyond old ILM and mid-period ILM prejudice, deluded fool that I am!

hahah nope, sry.

I think this album just seemed like more of the same to fans, but to new people it was a little easier to get into. anyway, i really like it now. I'll buy the deluxe since I haven't gotten around to legally purchasing this yet.

^Pretty much how I feel about it.

i havent listened to this in a while tbh, but it's not that bad. i just am rarely in the mood for something this, uh, not uplifting at all. which is fine and not the records fault

is that why you spend all your time listening to tapes n tapes

I love the feel they captured on Alligator, and I'm content with knowing that will never happen again. That album's enough for me. I mean, I'll always listen to whatever new thing they release a time or two, but I went inside Alligator and never fully emerged on the other side.

liked Alligator, loved Boxer, found the new one pretty good but maybe a bit too sentimental if not corny - in a way I could start to see the elements which might eventually piss me off (ie. some songs veer a bit into U2/Coldplay territory at times)

High Violet is all about them playing with hooks and choruses, often pushing the verses to the background. That's not a criticism, they just take a everything-is-a-hook approach, much more so than the previous albums. I mean most songs are built on like four or five phrases repeated over and over, just like Sufjan's new album. Them and Love King are all similar in that way.

oh it absolutely is in the indie equivalent of Rush of Blood To the Head.

Which is kind of a good thing, in my opinion.

If The National and The Walkmen go on tour together, how will the crowd be able to tell which one opened up?

http://twitter.com/#!/freddurst/status/99869930060652544

i still owe money to the money to the money i owe

New album in May

https://twitter.com/The_National/status/306092284250824704)

Oof, good news! Took an extended break from these guys for a good 2 and a half years, started listening again just before Christmas. I think a bit of distance has made all the difference. Listened to Cherry Tree, Alligator, Virginia EP and Boxer on pretty heavy rotation for about 4 years and was starting to tire of the act/persona/whatever a little bit.

I found myself incapable of committing to High Violet in the same way when it came out after that, but I've been seriously enjoying it recently. Also backtracked and had a go at the first two albums - not as good as what came after for sure, but there's some nifty little tunes in there, 'Pay For Me' and 'Slipping Husband' and 'Ninety Mile Water Wall' and whatnot. I like some of the ideas that were refined out of their sound as time passed - the backing vox on Pay For Me, for instance. In fact yeah fuck it, 'Pay For Me' is really up there with their best for me. Except for that lyric about being on a plane somewhere over Spain.

Still can't really touch Boxer, because I'm just not sure that the songs stand up so well down the line. Actually that's not true, I've just tried to think of a song off that album that I really don't like and I've drawn a blank. Just less inclined to listen that I used to be. Alligator's still where it's at for me. Probably not got the best songs from their catalogue (tbh I think Cherry Tree EP was them at their hottest in terms of hit-ratio) but it's a brilliant collection of songs. One of those delights where I think every song on there has been my favourite at least once. 'Friend Of Mine' and 'All The Wine' really doing it for me atm.

So yeah, damn excited for this. Way more so than for the last one.

http://pitchfork.com/news/59182-the-national-announce-vinyl-box-set-collecting-six-hour-performance-of-sorrow/

How environmentally friendly

i hear that vinyl breaks down well into mulch.