I love The National. I am afraid I am do not love what they are becoming - I couldn't find the appeal of SWB (outside of a few standout tracks) and I didn't connect with the last record either. This solo outing seems fine - I liked the title track, didn't love the second single, etc., but I agree that his lyrics are becoming rote. So much of The National to me is the thrill of a song like Sea of Love or Day I Die...it balances out some of their other sides. And they seem less and less interested in that side of the band, and this record is seemingly similar. I'll always listen to the new stuff, but I miss the days when I *knew* I'd love it. But hell, they make music for themselves, not me!
That record got me into them - Ignore the Ignorant. It's not necessarily representative of everything (it's more jangly given Marr's presence) but it is a strong indie album and if you like that, you'll probably like a lot of their other stuff.
Wow - two seminal albums for me on the same day! I am to this day a humongous Idlewild fan. I imported this album on release day back in 2000 and it did not leave my stereo. Little Discourage, Roseability, Idea Track, etc., every song on this record is a single. Big choruses, strong verses and a whole lotta rawk. Another underrated gem by them is When I Argue I See Shapes...the production doesn't hold up, but the song does.
I find the notion that High Violet is a drastic departure from Boxer to be a bit strange - the production feels very similar and while some of the songs are more anthemic than the average Boxer track, I think songs like Apartment Story and Brainy would have fit very snugly into the HV tracklist. Great album obviously, though I do think Runaway goes on too long, The tours around this time were magic because you could feel the band getting bigger with every show. When Sea of Love came out as the first single from Trouble, you knew they were officially a *big indie band*. And that song, to me, feels like the culmination of the first era of The National.
I think they're written in the same key, but beyond that, they have that thick guitar strumming sound and laid back beat. Definitely verrry similar vibes.
I haven't loved the past two records as much as I loved their prior output, but this song live was a showstopper to me. It had that "National" energy that many of their more recent tracks lacks.
Huge American Manics fan here too, and I honestly cannot believe I am reading a 20th Anniversary retrospective of *any* of their albums on Stereogum. What will always stand out to me about this record is how lush and different its production is from the rest of them. And Tsunami is one of their ultimate bangers - a top 5 Manics track for me. This was also the first Manics album I bought after I became a fan, so it will always bring back a lot of memories. My friends would say "Manic Street what??? What a weird name." But what a great f'ing band.
Another stone cold classic by The Beach Boys that may not compare to their later stuff, but more than holds up on its own. I felt the same way about I Get Around, which Tom did not praise to the heavens and back like he should have.
Golden Hour is probably my favorite track on the record - it's got the languid California 70's vibe spoken of in the article with a wist of nostalgia that gets you right where it hurts. And yet it's an exultant love song! What a trick.
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