The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 53

lame

 

that's an 8 by most people's standards

 

You didn’t trick Pitchfork into liking it, the National. They didn’t let you trick them. They saw it’s not good and they didn’t get tricked.

 

none of the singles have done a single thing for me, after the last album, might just be a legacy act for me at this point

 

Always love to remember Pitchfork gave A Lot of Sorrow a 7.2

 

If you’re waiting for release day to hear this record, today is the last official day to pre-decide how bad the album will be.

 

The standouts to me on the album:

Once Upon A Poolside, Eucalyptus, New Order T-Shirt, Tropic Morning News, Alien (I fucking love this so much), Grease in Your Hair, Send For Me.

I can do without the Phoebe features. I really feel like they don't add anything. The Taylor feature is what it is is. The Alcott is a good song but it's not top tier.

 

I do love that the Sufjan feature is so minimal but adds so much.

 

I think the features are all great. Right now, it’s Alien and Grease that I’m not entirely sold on. I don’t think they’re bad, but they don’t do much for me at the moment and I think parts of them sound like some of the other songs and I find myself preparing to hum the wrong verse or chorus. I’m sure they’ll grow on me and it may just be a case of having already heard most of the songs leading up to those ones multiple times.

I don’t think a P4K 6.6 is unfair, but I also don’t know why it matters that a website rates something lower than you might personally rate it. It’s not like they unnecessarily panned it, and it’s also not like this doesn’t very much sound like a National album in most of the exact ways they describe.

 

Grease is so good tho

 

Send for me and tropic are my least fav

 

Grease in Your Hair, Aliens, and Ice Machines are my favorites here. This Isn’t Helping and Poolside is also very good, and Eucalyptus has grown on me. TMN is still very whatever, and i don’t care for New Order T-shirt very much, or the other Phoebe collab. Send for Me is pretty but forgettable. The Alcott, I think that song is trash I’m sorry.

Probably looking at a 7/10 for me, and a record i enjoy on the whole more that at least the last one.

 

It was awful. Can’t wait to hear it for the first time.

 

I was gonna say “but sleep well beast!” And then I realized it’s been almost six years since that album

 

Grease and Ice Machines were highlights on a first listen. Overall seems like a grower, but yeah, didn't strike me as exceptional on my first listen.

 

I’d love for Sufjan to have a bigger part but at the same time, if you’re friends with him and you need some ghostly backup vocals, why wouldn’t you turn to him?

 

This feels like a mostly middling/autopilot record but turns out that a middling record from them is still pretty great. The Alcott and Send for Me are unbelievable.

 

well this is great

 

Real bad opening 3 song stretch, then recovers into a solid groove until the final 2 tracks, which also don't do anything for me.

 

I like this just fine, I think “Eucalyptus” (and “Grease in Your Hair” for that matter) is a legit great National song, but I actually think the guest spots here are worse than I Am Easy to Find, they seem like half baked ideas written around a big name feature, easily the 3 weakest songs on the record (I like the Sufjan assisted opener). But the other 8 songs all range from pretty good to really good.

 

I’ve never loved this band throughout the years, but respected them. Checked out The Alcott for obvious reasons and what an incredible song. Gonna check out the rest of the album now.

 

This is all right, some good Berninger-isms and the like, only song that feels like a letdown is the closer, IMO. I feel like all their previous albums have this forward momentum, like they were always really pushing and challenging themselves to expand the sound. I don't really get the sense they're doing that here, which is fine, but it does make it a little less interesting to listen to. Wondering if this becomes one of their more popular albums just from the features alone, and honestly if it wins them new fans that's awesome of course, they deserve it.

 

This is fantastic. Going to Shake It right when they open to grab the Cincinnati Red vinyl and will be spinning for the remainder of the day

 

Tropic Morning News is very good. First song to make me check the name as I'm listening