The National - I Am Easy To Find (May 17, 2019) Album • Page 13

Always reminds me of a moody take on Vampire Weekends “Giving Up the Gun”

 

Fireproof is the weakest song on Trouble and it’s not even close. Empire is better, but I’d still call it the weakest song on SWB, although that might be because I’m just impatient to get to I’ll Still Destroy You.

 

Do you have an altered tracklist...???

 

I agree. “Fireproof” is a The National song by the numbers. It might be their worst, most forgettable song (post SS). That’s off the top of my head, but that track is one example of why I tend to rank Trouble a little lower than some of their other records. Feels like a leftover, other songs on that record that accomplish the same thing and sound fresh.

 

I agree that "Fireproof" is the weakest track on TWFM, but that's in the context of how amazing ALL of their other songs are. It's not a bad song.

"Empire Line" is amazing though. I don't understand that criticism at all. For me the only dip in quality on SWB is the title track / closer.

 

Yea not a bad song by any stretch. I just find it a tad bit boring, and rendered skippable by the tracks around it.

 

Oh man, I looove the title track. I find it so evocative. I guess it’s a sign of how great the band is that people can come to such different conclusions haha.

My thoughts exactly. It’s a fine song, just a bit overshadowed by the greatness around it.

 

at one point I did, but I didn't save it when I redownloaded their discog + various rarities and stuff this year. all I know is the songs on that album are way too good - I love almost all of them for the record - for it to be bouncing back and forth between slow song/fast song for the entire first half and then putting four/five tracks with the same tempo and instrumentation in a row after it. The National are way too good and experienced for that to slide imo

 

The new single is incredible. I'm very hyped for this.

 

You Had Your Soul With You is a great tune

Why do the Nationals songs always feel like the drums are moving at twice the speed of the vocals

 

All The Wine
Fake Empire
Somewhere Around the Bend
Pink Rabbits
Carin at the Liquor Store

Graceless makes me feel how many of you feel about Fireproof. Fireproof at least conveys a mood. Graceless is so boring to me.

 

Wow Graceless fucking rules imo, essential track

Tried making a top 5 pulling one track from each album Aligator to SWB. Had four picked and then had a system overload trying to pick a single track off TWFM.

 

graceless is the quintessential national song imo

 

Break my arms around the one I love

 

weak national songs, alligator and beyond edition:

Day I Die
Fireproof
Heavenfaced
Sorrow
Little Faith

 

Little Faith is fantastic

 

Day I Die has great verses, but that chorus does not do it for me. It sounds so... awkward?

 

yeah not huge on Day I Die but I love the bridge tho

Reasonable Man is the worst National song, straight up. It's so unbelievably uninteresting. Sugar Wife and a few others aren't great but at least you remember them

 

As much as Sad Songs has some incredible songs I don't feel like they were a good band on the s/t and they still weren't a great band on Sad Songs so I feel like it is a bit of a layup to call out early stuff as the worst. It's basically Radiohead imo.

edit wait reasonable man is from the great era, carry on

To chime in on something from the last page Graceless is a really great song but it's gotta be bottom tier Berninger lyrics. Really keeps it from being a standout.

 

I have to second this, or like fourth it. "Graceless" has been stuck in my head since someone mentioned it earlier.

I think this is a pretty unpopular opinion, but I also think "I Need My Girl" is bottom tier National along with "Fireproof".

 

You had me til you shit talked INMG. Wtf man

 

yeah Reasonable Man is Cherry Tree. and as much as Sad Songs doesn't really compare with their best it does have a couple of my all-time fave National songs (Cardinal Song, Slipping Husband and Lucky You) so I thought it was fair game

 

I think for me what I love so much about The National is the music being incredible, Bryan Devendorf's GOD LEVEL drumming but also everyone else being amazing as well, the feeling / atmosphere of the songs, and Matt Berninger's overall delivery and style more so than what he is actually saying. Not that I think he is a bad lyricist by any means - I actually think he is really damn good - but for me what he is saying isn't the aspect that draws me into their songs and drives them to the next level.

I wasn't trying to shit talk it so much as just admit that for me if the rest of the songs on TWFM are absolute, stone-cold, 5-star classics then "Fireproof" and "I Need My Girl" are like 3 1/2 stars. Bottom tier The National is still a height few other bands attain and would do well to aspire to.

 

Oooo I love Day I Die.

I do know that Heavenfaced and Fireproof would be locks for my bottom tier songs Post SS.

 

This hurts I don’t like this