The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 57

This is the most interesting Atmos mix of an album I’ve heard in a while. Makes the features a bit more forward in the mix so now I’m not as disappointed in Phoebe’s.

 

I like this a lot more than I thought I would

 

After first listen, love this more than IAETF. I agree that the “band only” songs are the best, but I don’t hate the features. Grease, Ice, NOTS and Send For Me will get a ton of spins.

Tropic Morning News is the most immediately accessible lead single they’ve ever had, and it’s gonna whip ass live. Fight me.

 

this is very good. grease in your hair is good good.

 

Someone here who who listened to this early said this reminded them of the band’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I think this is like their Reveal, except I think this is closer to peak National than Reveal was to peak R.E.M.

 

The only thing is, I feel like they say this stuff a lot, like when there was gonna be a more "rock" follow-up / companion thing to IAETF... It does sound *slightly* more concrete this time, and I'd be very excited to hear some more upbeat stuff from these sessions, especially when he references it being in the vein of "Grease In Your Hair" because that is absolutely a stand out song on this album.

 

This is easily their best since Trouble Will Find Me. Astounded some of you don’t dig this.

 

I don’t get all the weird high violet opinions

 

This basically has 5 songs I would love to see live and that’s enough for me at this point.

 

Anyone else get the red vinyl and have skipping issues on The Alcott ?

 

Album is wonderful, as always. Hit me more immediately than I Am Easy to Find, for some reason. The three big-ticket guest spots are incorporated so naturally, too.

 

this album is too good to be compared to Reveal

 

“Grease in Your Hair” is so damn good

 

it's funny I only just heard The Alcott for the first time since it was excluded from the promo copy. ok song but easily my least favourite thing here I think, kinda overwrote in a way something like Exile deftly avoids

 

Really good on first listen, especially “New Order T-Shirt.”

 

A step up from IAETF for sure. Can't wait to dig more into this.

 

Usually National albums take a few months to go from an A+ to an A++ for me but this one has immediately grabbed me. So good.

Most obsessed with Alien right now. It’s like a greatest hit of National tropes - crunchy guitar solo, Bryan crushing drums, a weird lyrics that grows on you, etc

 

I like all the songs on here. They are all well written but something isn’t grabbing me as much as most of their other albums. I think I want there to be more bangers. Like each other album has more of them than this one. This album seems to have less variation in tempo and tone.

 

This might be a bold take that I might not commit to, but right now… this is my favorite start-to-finish The National album since Boxer.

“Immediacy” is the key word here for me. This is their shortest album in over a decade, and it’s pretty immaculately paced with just the right amount of energy and lightness. All the vibes and flow are on point.

Funny that they said they weren’t sure early on if they had anything left to say (and that some fans heard these songs and felt the same). None of this feels uncertain or bored or whatever to me; it feels like a confident veteran band in the pocket just making a very, very solid new batch of songs.

 

Listened to it in full again last night and i really feel like The Alcott is just a black hole right in the middle of this thing. The only songs I wasn’t really into were the singles, but I could imagine them growing on me. Alcott just… not my thing at all.

 

Pretty luke warm on this so far but I do think it’s better than IAETF. Hoping it grows on me with time.

 

it's all about the bookends, Alien and Grease for me on here. some of their best in years and I adore IAETF

 

This is growing on me immensely with each listen

 

One listen was enough for me. They're a spent force at this point.

 

I get not liking it but saying shit like they’re a spent force is just so stupid.