The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 59

The trajectory for most rock bands that exist for 2+ decades and amass a following is that new music ends up being the "minor" event compared to touring, usually because they're now churning out music that is basically variations on what came before - refinement, not reinvention. At that point fans tend to split roughly btwn diehards who dig into the refinement hard and people who have their own pet eras they like just fine thanks. Twas ever thus

 

Now I’m just imagining you replying to some of these posts with:

 

I mean, that’s increasingly accurate. Haha

 

I guess the thing I find weird about both sides of the argument - whether you think it’s a return to form/better than IAETF or that they’re washed - is that SWB and IAETF were the biggest reinvention of their sound since the jump from Sad Songs to Cherry Tree. (Part of why the “career band phase” angle doesn’t totally work for me: their two most recent records were almost a rejection of that concept in my book.)

If I’m gonna make a hatery, they’re out of ideas take, it’s that I think Folklore and Evermore did this sound already and well enough (holy understatement!!) that it feels a bit like we’ve been here before. Lessens the impact for me a bit.

 

IMO, the knock on this album is that it lacks punchy singles, AIM Away Message/bio worthy Matt lines, and over-the-top horn/guitar climaxes that the band has done before. I think those were purposeful creative choices and that the aim was a tight, clean, focused record that functions best as a whole piece and I think this mostly succeeds as a cohesive, good record.

It’s hard not to connect the post-release criticism about the band being finished and out of ideas along with the pre-release vexing about Bryan’s drums, Taylor’s feature, the way they added Sufjan/Phoebe/Taylor to the song titles, etc, and, in turn, it’s hard (IMO) not to connect that to the complaints about the non-Matt vocalists on IAETF.

It feels like meta objections about how their favorite band is acting their age and popularity instead of staying true to how they may have been 10+ years ago.

 

When really still "if" at this point if we're being honest they release the more high-energy, rock-ier companion piece/album/EP/thing hopefully both sides of the debate will live in harmony.

 

What if they just release a full album cover of R.E.M.‘s “hey, we rock again” album Accelerate?

 

may be time for me to unsubscribe

 

What is happening in this thread?

 

It's a discussion of the new album by The National - apparently some fans think it's really good and some fans aren't quite so hot on it.

 

Just saw this thread for the first time. Big “yikes” energy.

 

Do people have any favorite lyrics to this yet? “Watching airplanes land / sinking into the pavement” is both economical and also one of those perfectly placed lines to the music in the way I visualize it in my mind, it’s actually a thing of beauty

 

I'll be over here lying near the ocean
Making ocean sounds
Let me know if you can come over
And work the controls for a while

I can relate to this - in a place of beauty and nature, unable to get out of your own head and enjoy the tranquility you’re surrounded by.

 

Pretty much all of "Send For Me",

these lyrics from "Ice Machines":

I don't know what to say to people
It only makes things worse
It's timе to take my silent treatmеnt
This won't be the first

and the part in "The Alcott" where they both sing:

And the last thing you wanted
Is the first thing I do
I tell you my problems
You tell me the truth

 

like this less than i expected based on the singles but still like it. alien and grease are my standouts. not big on eucalyptus

 

Tropic, Grease, and Eucalyptus are the big standouts for me

 

Yep, exactly the same for me, but also Ice Machines.

 

I was going to choose this one - really jumped out to me listening on a walk today

 

Avalanches in my mind
I'm getting buried in this dream

 

Each listen is better than the last, I was not a fan of Eucalyptus at all when it came out but it’s grown so much, Ice Machines is my other current favorite, I enjoy all of this so far with the low point being the first Phoebe song

 

At this point, I'm not totally sold on the Alcott - Grease - Ice Machines run. I know that's a high point for a lot of people, but something about it just isn't fully connecting with me. I like the album, including those songs, but it's definitely lower-tier National for me; that said, I fully expect to give it many more listens throughout the year, and who knows how I might feel about it months from now let alone a week!

 

This has grown on me a ton over the weekend. On first listen I was a little lukewarm, but like all National albums, I like it a little more each time.

 

I like it as a whole but really from Alien on - it works well for me. First 5 tracks are good but the back-half is strong IMO.

 

i think they are a pretty good band

 

Finally got around to this, and find it incredibly underwhelming. It’s a bummer, their last couple didn’t hit for me but at least appreciated that they had their own identity. This is just bland