The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 58

^ I would agree with you but I read that they actually just changed the rules of the First to Call the Death of the National Award. Now it’s given class-action-style so there’s no limit to who can join and also they lifted the time limit so you didn’t have to call the National dead in 2013, 2017, or 2019 to qualify. If you say it now, you win. But I did hear that you get a splatter version of the plaque if you post that the National are toast on RateYourMusic specifically, so that might be the place to do it.

 

especially given the context behind the creation of the damn album in the first place, isn't this the exact opposite of a spent force regardless of yr opinions on the record?

 

Eucalyptus fucking OWNS on a good pair of headphones or speakers that build the low end. That last 90 seconds is an immersion.

 

i’m salivating for eucalyptus and alien live

 

You can keep making stuff and still be out of ideas.

 

Rather than accept that the band is toast and out of ideas, I will choose to believe that the band has made some creative choices over the last few albums that have rubbed certain fans the wrong way and Bryan not playing quirky drums and the Taylor duet were the last straws. No more warnings. We’re going public with our comments and ratings.

 

Not sure how anyone could pay attention to Matt’s lyrics here and think they’re mailing it in or out of ideas.

I think this is vital work from a great band, but even if it wasn’t, some people really need to adjust to a band they love going from their Inspired Era to their Career Band/Artist era. It happens to literally every artist to ever exist and it’s crazy to me how many people refuse to make that transition alongside bands they love because they still think everything is going to give them that old feeling.

 

They have also been a band for 20+ years and they are all in their late 40s/early 50s.

Boxer is 16 years old.

 

Faves: Poolside, Eucalyptus, Tropic, Alcott, Grease

 

You should take it! Cuz I’m not gonna take it! You should take it! If I miss it, I’ll visit!

 

Feel like Weird Goodbyes would’ve fit pretty well on this album

also feel like Ice Machines would fit well on Sleep Well Beast

 

This is purely hypothetical but if the National, having seen the full force of our unified grievances play out in real time online, removed the Alcott from the album, had Bryan re-record all the drums to how they should be, and added a minute of cacophonous brass instruments as the climax for every track, would that be enough to win you back?

 

This thread is weird.

 

Outside this thread is weird too, bro.

 

Mintplusplus listens to bloodbuzz on loop every night to fall asleep

 

Woke up with this stuck in my head ! Ear worm.

 

My toddler likes alien, keeps telling us to play “drop down!”

 

Weird to see so many people online complain about this album being slow as if Boxer isn’t both their best and slowest album.

 

I mean, there’s nothing on this album that compares to the three song run of Mistaken for Strangers - Brainy - Squalor Victoria in terms of propulsive tracks.

 

I personally don’t understand this being critiqued for slowness, since it’s for me their tightest and most immediately engaging album in a while (even with the rather mellow opening track). It’s so focused and so easy to ride out to the end, with just enough great bits to keep things going.

 

This is how i feel about it - if they tried to make a big, grand record and this thing was 55 minutes long but 80% the softer stuff, i don’t think it would work as well. As is, I think it’s a pretty good work about depression and listlessness. I don’t think it’s going to be many people’s favorite record of theirs, and it probably won’t be in my top 3 or even 5, but it’s a good, focused album that adds continued depth to their catalogue. Better than IAETF, at a minimum.

 

I can see where someone who enjoys their more propulsive and energetic tracks would feel this album is slow, but we're also at this weird place in the thread where everyone is commenting on the thread being weird as it is, so it definitely feels weird to bring up drum pads again.

For me, the album feels a bit slow because I think it sorta needs a version of "Tropic Morning News" that is more like how they played it live on TV at that point in the album, especially with "Alien" right after it, and the second Phoebe Bridgers feature at track 10 just grinds things to a halt where song with a bit of momentum would've been great. These are just quibbles though and I think it's a solid album and they obviously know what they're doing.

I keep hearing "Your Mind Is Not Your Friend" being mentioned as a highlight of the album, so clearly I'm the odd man out on that one, it's just that the two Phoebe songs are the low points of the album for me, and they're very similar, and by track 10 we've already had the other one already and "Ice Machines" and "Send For Me" are both fantastic.

 

The older and grouchier I get, the more often I find myself thinking some people don’t deserve music.

 

This makes sense. Though (and I’m not saying you’re saying this, but), I don’t think “this wouldn’t work as well if it were like this but longer” would be fair. Part of how they succeeded for me here is knowing the right runtime for this thing.

A very different version of this same thing for me is that recent 100 gecs album. Some people seemed confused why they made it so short, in spite of the time between albums and some of the other tracks they released and could’ve included. But, for me, that thing had the exact right pacing and length for what it was doing. Maybe a couple more tracks of the same quality would’ve improved the thing, but I kinda feel like they made the right call.