Yes, I have been waiting, holding my breath, three long years for the release of this album. Yes, I realize that
Boxer was exceptional and some would argue insurmountable, and the other albums by The National are also wicked good. With that said,
High Violet is nothing short of amazing. Never has the gloomy and ominous felt or sounded so good. Something about The National is so deeply comforting and passionate that it makes me reflectively sad and inexplicably happy at the same time -- the perfect mix of musically induced emotion. Perhaps it is Matt Berninger's familiar, nonchalant baritone or the layered, multifarious instrumentation that can turn your feelings on their head in the midst of lyrics that should only cajole depression. Take the song "England" for example: Perfectly paced with a jolt in energy towards the end, seemingly touching lyrics that could make you cry just as easily as lift you out of bed to start your day. Everything is thoughtfully calculated & orchestrated, while epic in magnitude & emotion. OK, I've said enough. If you don't listen to this album immediately and love it then we were obviously not meant to be friends. This may be the album of the year, so it would be your loss anyway. Favorite song: The whole album.
Best line: "We'll play Nuns vs. Priests... until somebody cries."
4 Comments:
I love this album so much it hurts.
Thanks for reviewing it!
This is what I do.
I totally agree. I get obsessed with a new track from this album every couple of days and right now it's Lemonworld. "I was a comfortable kid, but I don't think about it much anymore."
What happens if we are only 5 months deep in the year, but 6 albums deep in our yearly top 10 list?
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