The National

[Ashl]

50 minutes ago, scaryclaireyfairy said:

Related stories below article has another Guardian review saying it's "melodious mood music to enthrall"  and gives 4 stars. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/17/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review

I'm not sure about the album yet but the track that f*ckery reviewer pulled out as great (Not In Kansas) is at the bottom of the pile for me so I don't trust their judgement.

 

 

I expect that Not In Kansas will be polarising like Turtleneck, I quite like both but Turtleneck is not their best in my opinion! 

[scatteredscreens]

I hope they appear again at Glastonbury 2020 and have a Other Stage headline set liked they deserved in 2017

[jyoung]

On 5/17/2019 at 11:47 AM, jyoung said:

• The run of Not In Kansas, So Far So Fast and Dust Swirls In Strange Light slowed things down a bit for me (I don't know if this was the extended length of the first two tracks but yeah, I felt like the record could lose those three tracks)

Not afraid to admit it, I was horribly wrong about Not In Kansas.

Sensational.

This happens to me quite regularly to be fair.

[Hugh Jass]

Been feeling my way slowly into the new album.

The closing run of Hairpin Turns to Light Years is just lovely.

[Hawros]

I've decided on the Cherry Tree ltd vinyl, as the 3rd disc in the 3 disc set, which was supposed to have an etching on the 6th side, didn't look good at all.

The Cherry Tree one looks cool, I think, and better than the colours of either of the other ltd versions:

[1986]

Has Brighton sold out? When I try and find them on anything it says "can't find any results."

Say its sold out if that's what you mean. Ya fff...

 

[jparx]

19 hours ago, Gacheezbo said:

I know music is subjective but what f*ckery is this https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/19/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review

Music certainly is subjective, but if you're going to give something **, particularly something as dense as this record, you need to donate more than two paragraphs to your reasoning. 

[Mr.Tease]

54 minutes ago, jparx said:

Music certainly is subjective, but if you're going to give something **, particularly something as dense as this record, you need to donate more than two paragraphs to your reasoning. 

The Observer is a terrible newspaper - it's like they've given up (not that it was any good to start with) - reviews, guides, news coverage, their commentators - it's all rubbish. 

That short review, I think was from the observer, the other one that gave it more stars was from the guardian 

[Display-Name]

Got tickets to see them at BST in Hyde Park in July for my birthday. Saw them at APE last year and it was phenomenal. Hoping for more of the same, but not sure whether the fact that it's not them headlining will make a difference in regards to the crowd.

[ivan]

First impressions …

When the female vocal kicks in on “You Had Your Soul “ that’s so beautiful

“ My bed room is now a strangers gun room “ on Not in Kansas is a work of genius 

And Rylan is beautiful

Possibly the album may suffer with too many talented musicians all putting their input in and it being a bit too busy and over our heads 

[GMF]

Just back from holiday, my next door neighbour has just handed in my beautiful triple album in coloured vinyl, just away to indulge myself for a couple of hours.

[Fred Zepplin]

I think I need to listen to it more because it’s not doing it for me. There are a lot of different sounds and textures on a lot of the songs and then throw in the guest vocals and it’s very different to classic National. Rylan the stand out track for me at the minute and you can tell it’s an older song from the drums and the way Matt sings the lyrics. 

[1986]

Finally getting to hear it after a weekend away (missing out on release day and decent tickets to the tour).

It might be their best since High Violet.

[fightoffyour]

Just now, 1986 said:

Finally getting to hear it after a weekend away (missing out on release day and decent tickets to the tour).

It might be their best since High Violet.

Better than High Violet. The only discussion to be had is whether it's better than Alligator and/or Boxer.

[Hutchmaster]

Not in Kansas is really conflicting me. Can't stop listening to it, however I think they went overkill with the choir-esque parts. Really bloats the song for me.

[rzwodezwo]

14 minutes ago, fightoffyour said:

Better than High Violet. The only discussion to be had is whether it's better than Alligator and/or Boxer.

lol no

[calamitymaud]

24 minutes ago, fightoffyour said:

Better than High Violet. The only discussion to be had is whether it's better than Alligator and/or Boxer.

Disagree with this, and I think you'll realise it when the dust has settled.

It's a very good album in a new direction with some really great songs (Not in Kansas, Quiet Light, I Am Easy To Find, Rylan) and some very meh songs (Roman Holiday, Hey Rosey, Dust Swirls In Strange Light) that I doubt anyone will return and listen to in 10 years in the same way we do with High Violet.

7.5/10 overall seems reasonable. I'm not disappointed at all, but i'm not telling all my friends about it.

[fightoffyour]

2 minutes ago, calamitymaud said:

Disagree with this, and I think you'll realise it when the dust has settled.

It's a very good album in a new direction with some really great songs (Not in Kansas, Quiet Light, I Am Easy To Find, Rylan) and some very meh songs (Roman Holiday, Hey Rosey, Dust Swirls In Strange Light) that I doubt anyone will return and listen to in 10 years in the same way we do with High Violet.

7.5/10 overall seems reasonable. I'm not disappointed at all, but i'm not telling all my friends about it.

Roman Holiday is the most meh, Hey Rosey is great and Dust is just an interlude so I don't think it should even be in the conversation as a song.

I guess we'll have to be back here in 10 years to find out!

[calamitymaud]

2 minutes ago, fightoffyour said:

Roman Holiday is the most meh, Hey Rosey is great and Dust is just an interlude so I don't think it should even be in the conversation as a song.

I guess we'll have to be back here in 10 years to find out!

Dust is over 3 minutes long and is a proper song.

But yeah let's see - and hopefully there'll have been many more National albums by that point too!

Edited May 21, 2019 by calamitymaud

[jyoung]

Even Dust Swirls In Strange Light has won me over. It's like something from a Yorgos Lanthimos film.

Far too soon to say where it ranks in the list but I've settled into it in it's entirety a lot quicker than I did Sleep Well Beast.

[JonnyG]

On 5/19/2019 at 10:38 PM, Gacheezbo said:

I know music is subjective but what f*ckery is this https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/19/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review

Clearly written by someone who has listened to the record once.  The comment that there are no memorable melodies is telling.  For me their melodies don’t usually emerge until the third listen, or later.  And then I can’t get them out of my head.

[zeppelin]

On 5/19/2019 at 4:38 PM, Gacheezbo said:

I know music is subjective but what f*ckery is this https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/19/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review

Here's a 4/5 from The Guardian, I'm slightly confused. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/17/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review?__twitter_impression=true

[Mr.Tease]

11 minutes ago, zeppelin said:

Here's a 4/5 from The Guardian, I'm slightly confused. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/17/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find-review?__twitter_impression=true

The shit review was from the shit Observer (guardian on Sundays), the better review was from the weekday guardian. Observer articles just get published on the guardian website

[Mr.Tease]

So does Sleep Well Beast sound better or worse in comparison to the new album? 

[ivan]

1 hour ago, Johnkhutch said:

Not in Kansas is really conflicting me. Can't stop listening to it, however I think they went overkill with the choir-esque parts. Really bloats the song for me.

The song very much reminds me of The Low Anthem , but yes it needs to lose the choir.

It reminds me of an interview i heard with Jason Pierce and he was asked " when do  you know when to stop adding bits to a track and just let it go as it is ? "  

And he said it was " very difficult to finally say the track was ready and let it get out there "

"Just one more horn or vocal please !"

AC/DC never had that trouble !