I’ll explain everything to the geeks
In a year that has already seen the release of several highly-anticipated albums I have to admit: this is the one I’ve been most excited about.
For the uninitiated, the National have been called by some a hybrid of Leonard Cohen and Joy Division, an often-dark and brooding brand of indie rock that is perfectly at home with the tense and sinister elements that lie in wait in the dark recess of their songs. I’ve chronicled my relationship with their flawless third record, Boxer, through a few different stages on this site. I think it’s probably one of the best records released in the last decade, hands down. It unravels like a ball of really, really depressed yarn, a listening experience that can be chilly at times but also becomes warm and comforting once it really starts to take shape. Needless to say when “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” the first track from new release High Violet, was released to the web earlier this year I lost my mind.
“Bloodbuzz Ohio” has become my favourite National song of all-time in the last few months. It has everything that makes the National such a unique and powerful presence: the intricate, thundering drum beat that opens the track is, as is typical for this band, dizzying compared to typical percussive performances. That powerful momentum propels the song through its entire length, reaching a whirling dervish of a finish amidst a swirl of piano, horns, and furiously strummed distorted guitars. Singer Matt Berninger drapes his velvety baritone all over the track with a love story that involves traveling with a swarm of bees and owing money to his debts.
In fact, Berninger could very well be the x-factor for new listeners of the band. His delivery is particularly hypnotic on this record, but a lot of the songs lean towards some of their more melancholy fare. Only a handful of tracks even approach up-beat, fast-paced, or other hyphenates often used to denote energy and momentum. Like the zombie/cannibalism love story of “Conversation 16″ or the constantly-building “Terrible Love” or the steady-as-a-rock otherworldliness of “Lemonworld” the band strikes its most overt pop hooks with a propulsive beat and Berninger’s world-weary lamenting behind them.
Admittedly, an argument could be made that the more languid, paranoid (”I’m Afraid Of Everyone”), lovelorn (”England”), or taunting (”Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”) numbers might prove droning to some, especially if they aren’t into Berninger’s voice. To me, though, that doesn’t hold water. I could listen to his evocative yet inscrutable lyrics and his closed-eye crooning for months on end and the band’s moody, ethereally unique brand of rock is just the icing on the cake.
In short, the more I listen to High Violet the more I want to keep listening until I succumb to the undercurrent of bleakness that seems to lie just below the surface of their songs.
the National - Bloodbuzz Ohio [4:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download the National - Conversation 16 [4:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadPhysical: 4AD puts their stuff out these days
Digital: itunes seems to be their brand of choice
EDIT — The internet police inform me 4AD and the band don’t want anyone posting non-approved preview tracks. Hope you folks had fast enough fingers, because “Conversation 16″ is gone. Though, as one of the few people out there that actually still buys music, I resent the reference in WebSherrif’s email to pirated tracks. I don’t pirate stuff I like.
