i agree this album is damn good. Its just not hitting me like the last 2 did unfortunately. That said there are some incredibly beautiful moments on here. Dont Swallow is dancey as all hell. This is The Last Time has just such an awesome groove and that ending part with the violin swells and the Jenny verse. Graceless in terms of bryans drumming and the main melody both are gorgeous. Demons is brilliant.
Matt can sure write like few other songwriters. That line about not lighting up a room is devastatingly gorgeous.
Liking the album after a handful of listens but it's lacking true standouts (maybe Graceless would fall into this category). Very cohesive and "National sounding" as others have mentioned. Definitely an enjoyable listen but I'm sure that in a few months when I want to listen to some National, I'll be playing Alligator or Boxer.
Just coming into The National, but I'm really liking what I hear on this. I only have this and High Violet to go by but they're both pretty cool. Only been through each album a handful of times and stuff is really starting to bloom.
When bands like Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin, just to name a few, have existed I find the 5 albums statement outrageous.
They would probably be a good opening band for Pearl Jam
edit: well maybe not for the fall tour cause they are already have dates booked.
04 August - Murat Theater, Indianapolis, IN
05 August - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
11 August - Hollywood Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
08 September - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
09 September - Cobb Energy Center, Atlanta, GA
11 September - The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
12 September - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC
13 September - Iriquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY
15 September - Orpheum Theater, Madison, WI
20 September - Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA
21 September - Edgefield Winery, Portland, OR
22 September - PNE Amphitheatre, Vancouver, Canada
Anyone else hear they played "Sorrow" 105 times straight times at an art gig in NYC last week?
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
I did enjoy that Brendan OBrien interview on Xm when he said he loved HV and the job Peter Katis did producing it. I think Tim also said how much he loved them.
I disagree. High Violet was that album. The National is pretty damn big. They are probably one of the biggest indie bands in the world. What other bands are bigger in the indie scene than Arcade Fire, The national, Bon Iver?
I dont think they will get any bigger. Trouble Will Find Me isnt a crossover/mainstream potential album. Its dark. and inaccessible.
I think HV did make them bigger. But Boxer did that too. And Alligator certainly made them bigger than they ever thought they would be. The hype for each album grows with every release of theirs and I think there is still room for grow. I think this band could be headlining Arenas by the time this tour is over.
When they opened for the AF at UIC in Chicago a few years back, while its a small college arena, 90% of the seats were filled by the time the Nat hit the stage, telling me most were they for both bands. I felt then that one more new album could have them headlong UIC. But the reaction I feel this album is getting tells me it may be a big album for them. Everyone seems to love it. And to be fair, they have always been dark and inaccessible, and yet despite that they still have become one of the top 5 big tent indie rock bands. But arcade fire, LCD, and some headliners at fests show (Vampire, Death Cab, whoever) you can pull 40,000 people together and not have T.Swift type hits.
All I'm saying is, there is still room for their fanbase to get bigger and with the hype and the reaction TWFM seems to be getting, they may be playing more big forums sooner rather than topping out at big theaters.
When bands like Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin, just to name a few, have existed I find the 5 albums statement outrageous.
True, but how many bands have had great 5 album runs (both critically acclaimed as well as bringing new fans into the fold with each subsequent release) in the past 15-20 years?
When bands like Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin, just to name a few, have existed I find the 5 albums statement outrageous.
pretty sure that comment was about more recent history. i still think it was kind of a ridiculous statement anyway, but i think it would be obvious to everyone that back in the 60s and 70s there were countless artists churning out classics. and in a much shorter time-frame as well.
When bands like Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin, just to name a few, have existed I find the 5 albums statement outrageous.
True, but how many bands have had great 5 album runs (both critically acclaimed as well as bringing new fans into the fold with each subsequent release) in the past 15-20 years?
I'd say PJ, Tool, Wilco, MMJ.
The way PJ came out of the gate is really impressive. No question they're past their prime but their first six fit the bill, even with them pulling back after Vitalogy.
Tool has continued to grow musically and in popularity. Including Opiate, since it has about as many songs as their other albums, their 5 releases are about as good as you can ask for unless you're one of the bands in my previous post.
Wilco continues to impress. I think they hit their prime with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but they're still putting out well received albums and getting more and more recognition.
MMJ has had a similar run. At Dawn>It Still Moves>Z>Evil Urges>Circuital are all really great, even if Z is a little bloated, and much like Wilco it seems like each subsequent release gets them more attention.
Sorry for the confusion guys...in regards to the five albums thing I meant in recent memory.
Really surprised about all the love for MMJ...I'm looking at their discography now, and no matter how I look at it, I can't see 5 consecutive great albums...maybe 1 (It Still Moves).
I'm a huge Wilco fan but I see them as a band that has put out 3 great albums (I know thats subjective)...obviously YHF is a masterpiece but Summerteeth and AGIB are brilliant as well. Some of their other albums are good, but still clear downgrades from those 3...just never on the same level.
As for Tool, I could be wrong but I don't even think they have released 5 albums...and 10,000 Days is a clear drop off from their earlier albums.
My point about The National is that even though I see Alligator as their masterpiece, just as many people would claim Boxer to be their best album....and then quite a few would say High Violet is their best. If you ask any National fan to name their favorite National songs, 'Available' and 'Lucky You' will make nearly every list, with songs like "Cardinal Song' and 'Murder Me Rachel' getting fair amount of votes as well. Most fans agree that SSFDL contains a number of the greatest songs the band has ever written....and that's their "worst" album to most (excluding self titled). Then they come out and release TWFM which goes punch for punch with any album they ever put out. Not sure how many bands can say that.
Wilco comes close. Being There >Summerteeth>YHF>AGIB is a fantastic run.
Jay was a fantastic foil for Jeff and probably the biggest influence on those first 3 albums of the run. Once he was booted, the material had the potential to falter. Jeff's substance problems caused him to lean on Glenn and Jim O Rourke for AGIB, which made that album pretty interesting. Not to belittle getting clean, but after getting sober, wilco went kind of Dad Rock. They have had some great tunes in the past decade, but for the most part, the albums were spotty.
After a couple of listens from each, I'm really enjoying Alligator and Boxer
www.RLMcDaniel.com
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2016: Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, JazzFest 2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1 2022: Nashville 2023: Ft. Worth II
Wilco comes close. Being There >Summerteeth>YHF>AGIB is a fantastic run.
Jay was a fantastic foil for Jeff and probably the biggest influence on those first 3 albums of the run. Once he was booted, the material had the potential to falter. Jeff's substance problems caused him to lean on Glenn and Jim O Rourke for AGIB, which made that album pretty interesting. Not to belittle getting clean, but after getting sober, wilco went kind of Dad Rock. They have had some great tunes in the past decade, but for the most part, the albums were spotty.
YHF, Summerteeth, and AGIB are all 3 incredible albums with YHF being a flat out masterpiece...I just don't see any of their other albums standing up to those.
Sky Blue Sky is amazing and Wilco The Album has some awesome songs like One Wing and Bull Black Nova. The Whole Love is awesome too; songs like Art of Almost, Born Alone, Whole Love and One Sunday Morning. And the sound quality on vinyl and cd is some of the best i've ever heard.
Love The National. Looking forward to seeing them at Red Rocks in September. I've heard a couple tracks off the new album and they sound outstanding. One of the best bands out today in my opinion.
I'm not really bothered by it. It's nice that they recognize that at some point they will get shitty and it would be better to call it quits than ruin a legacy. But I'm not giving that time frame any bit of seriousness.
doesnt sound any different than what Ed would say. Seems clear bands like Radiohead, or PJ, or Tool or whoever, especially in 2013, can tour or not tour, record or not record, at will. Its common now for bands to announce a few shows for a tour as opposed to a huge 52 stop one. And I think its clear they view family as equal to, and maybe more important than their art.
Its way more common nowadays for bands to do that. there soon will be 2 babies born to Arcade Fire band members. To think that will effect their tour schedule, how much they tour, their recording schedule etc.. is blindingly obvious
Through only 1 listen- too predictable for me. I was hoping they took some chances on this album.
"predictable" that's a good way to put it. i feel the same way. and i've listened to it about 9 times now hoping something would click. i finally gave up and went back to my of Montreal cd's that i was incessantly listening to before this came out. that said, i can't say i hate it. sea of love and pink rabbits are pretty good tunes. hell, they're all pretty good tunes, but that doesn't warrant the praise and hype i'm hearing about it. this album has nothing on skeletal lamping which was slagged off as trash by the general masses. but i guess it's all relative. not sure why i would compare of montreal to the national, but i just did. either way, i see this album as a disappointment. but i'm still psyched to see the national live in a few weeks. maybe that will improve my perception of this album....which is currently nothing more that 'mediocre'.
God this band is boring. I think everybody needs to listen to the new James Blake. I'll pass on High Violet part 2. Nothing new here. Tons of bands make more consistent records. Radiohead and QOTSA come to mind. Thank God for new QOTSA and Daft Punk.
Comments
Matt can sure write like few other songwriters. That line about not lighting up a room is devastatingly gorgeous.
When bands like Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin, just to name a few, have existed I find the 5 albums statement outrageous.
edit: well maybe not for the fall tour cause they are already have dates booked.
04 August - Murat Theater, Indianapolis, IN
05 August - Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
11 August - Hollywood Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
08 September - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
09 September - Cobb Energy Center, Atlanta, GA
11 September - The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
12 September - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC
13 September - Iriquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY
15 September - Orpheum Theater, Madison, WI
20 September - Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA
21 September - Edgefield Winery, Portland, OR
22 September - PNE Amphitheatre, Vancouver, Canada
Anyone else hear they played "Sorrow" 105 times straight times at an art gig in NYC last week?
http://www.nme.com/news/the-national/70136
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
I think HV did make them bigger. But Boxer did that too. And Alligator certainly made them bigger than they ever thought they would be. The hype for each album grows with every release of theirs and I think there is still room for grow. I think this band could be headlining Arenas by the time this tour is over.
When they opened for the AF at UIC in Chicago a few years back, while its a small college arena, 90% of the seats were filled by the time the Nat hit the stage, telling me most were they for both bands. I felt then that one more new album could have them headlong UIC. But the reaction I feel this album is getting tells me it may be a big album for them. Everyone seems to love it. And to be fair, they have always been dark and inaccessible, and yet despite that they still have become one of the top 5 big tent indie rock bands. But arcade fire, LCD, and some headliners at fests show (Vampire, Death Cab, whoever) you can pull 40,000 people together and not have T.Swift type hits.
All I'm saying is, there is still room for their fanbase to get bigger and with the hype and the reaction TWFM seems to be getting, they may be playing more big forums sooner rather than topping out at big theaters.
True, but how many bands have had great 5 album runs (both critically acclaimed as well as bringing new fans into the fold with each subsequent release) in the past 15-20 years?
pretty sure that comment was about more recent history. i still think it was kind of a ridiculous statement anyway, but i think it would be obvious to everyone that back in the 60s and 70s there were countless artists churning out classics. and in a much shorter time-frame as well.
I'd say PJ, Tool, Wilco, MMJ.
The way PJ came out of the gate is really impressive. No question they're past their prime but their first six fit the bill, even with them pulling back after Vitalogy.
Tool has continued to grow musically and in popularity. Including Opiate, since it has about as many songs as their other albums, their 5 releases are about as good as you can ask for unless you're one of the bands in my previous post.
Wilco continues to impress. I think they hit their prime with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot but they're still putting out well received albums and getting more and more recognition.
MMJ has had a similar run. At Dawn>It Still Moves>Z>Evil Urges>Circuital are all really great, even if Z is a little bloated, and much like Wilco it seems like each subsequent release gets them more attention.
Really surprised about all the love for MMJ...I'm looking at their discography now, and no matter how I look at it, I can't see 5 consecutive great albums...maybe 1 (It Still Moves).
I'm a huge Wilco fan but I see them as a band that has put out 3 great albums (I know thats subjective)...obviously YHF is a masterpiece but Summerteeth and AGIB are brilliant as well. Some of their other albums are good, but still clear downgrades from those 3...just never on the same level.
As for Tool, I could be wrong but I don't even think they have released 5 albums...and 10,000 Days is a clear drop off from their earlier albums.
My point about The National is that even though I see Alligator as their masterpiece, just as many people would claim Boxer to be their best album....and then quite a few would say High Violet is their best. If you ask any National fan to name their favorite National songs, 'Available' and 'Lucky You' will make nearly every list, with songs like "Cardinal Song' and 'Murder Me Rachel' getting fair amount of votes as well. Most fans agree that SSFDL contains a number of the greatest songs the band has ever written....and that's their "worst" album to most (excluding self titled). Then they come out and release TWFM which goes punch for punch with any album they ever put out. Not sure how many bands can say that.
Jay was a fantastic foil for Jeff and probably the biggest influence on those first 3 albums of the run. Once he was booted, the material had the potential to falter. Jeff's substance problems caused him to lean on Glenn and Jim O Rourke for AGIB, which made that album pretty interesting. Not to belittle getting clean, but after getting sober, wilco went kind of Dad Rock. They have had some great tunes in the past decade, but for the most part, the albums were spotty.
1996: Ft Lauderdale
1998: Birmingham
2000: Charlotte, Tampa
2003: Tampa, Atlanta, Phoenix
2004: Kissimmee
2008: West Palm Beach, Bonnaroo, Columbia
2010: MSG2
2012: Music Midtown
2014: Memphis
2018: Wrigley 1, Fenway 1
2022: Nashville
2023: Ft. Worth II
YHF, Summerteeth, and AGIB are all 3 incredible albums with YHF being a flat out masterpiece...I just don't see any of their other albums standing up to those.
Have to agree after AGIB, the albums have a tailed off a bit. The newest the Whole Love is the best since AGIB. Cheers.......
Now Its time to take a break and listen to Daft Punk.
This scares me a bit. http://pitchfork.com/news/50788-echo-ch ... -the-band/
doesnt sound any different than what Ed would say. Seems clear bands like Radiohead, or PJ, or Tool or whoever, especially in 2013, can tour or not tour, record or not record, at will. Its common now for bands to announce a few shows for a tour as opposed to a huge 52 stop one. And I think its clear they view family as equal to, and maybe more important than their art.
Its way more common nowadays for bands to do that. there soon will be 2 babies born to Arcade Fire band members. To think that will effect their tour schedule, how much they tour, their recording schedule etc.. is blindingly obvious
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
"predictable" that's a good way to put it. i feel the same way. and i've listened to it about 9 times now hoping something would click. i finally gave up and went back to my of Montreal cd's that i was incessantly listening to before this came out. that said, i can't say i hate it. sea of love and pink rabbits are pretty good tunes. hell, they're all pretty good tunes, but that doesn't warrant the praise and hype i'm hearing about it. this album has nothing on skeletal lamping which was slagged off as trash by the general masses. but i guess it's all relative. not sure why i would compare of montreal to the national, but i just did. either way, i see this album as a disappointment. but i'm still psyched to see the national live in a few weeks. maybe that will improve my perception of this album....which is currently nothing more that 'mediocre'.
PJ - Auckland 2009; Alpine Valley1&2 2011; Man1, Am'dam1&2, Berlin1&2, Stockholm, Oslo & Copenhagen 2012; LA, Oakland, Portland, Spokane, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle 2013; Auckland 2014, Auckland1&2 2024
EV - Canberra, Newcastle & Sydney 1&2 2011
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00004AB4AA2080E8
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
Welp I missed out on tix :x
2010: Newark 5/18 MSG 5/20-21 2011: PJ20 9/3-4 2012: Made In America 9/2
2013: Brooklyn 10/18-19 Philly 10/21-22 Hartford 10/25 2014: ACL10/12
2015: NYC 9/23 2016: Tampa 4/11 Philly 4/28-29 MSG 5/1-2 Fenway 8/5+8/7
2017: RRHoF 4/7 2018: Fenway 9/2+9/4 2021: Sea Hear Now 9/18
2022: MSG 9/11 2024: MSG 9/3-4 Philly 9/7+9/9 Fenway 9/15+9/17
I like how you get downloads for mp3 & flac digital versions.
PJ - Auckland 2009; Alpine Valley1&2 2011; Man1, Am'dam1&2, Berlin1&2, Stockholm, Oslo & Copenhagen 2012; LA, Oakland, Portland, Spokane, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle 2013; Auckland 2014, Auckland1&2 2024
EV - Canberra, Newcastle & Sydney 1&2 2011