The National

[1986]

On 3/16/2024 at 8:32 PM, wairey said:

I’m 27 and have never heard of the National. Where is a good place to start? There are no Sunday headliners screaming at me so I’m a ‘swing voter’ as it stands

For the sake of your decision I'd just cheat and find a playlist of one of their recent set lists. Assuming you have Spotify or whatever.

[matrainertje]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:32 PM, wairey said:

I’m 27 and have never heard of the National. Where is a good place to start? There are no Sunday headliners screaming at me so I’m a ‘swing voter’ as it stands

Make a playlist with these songs: Fake Empire, Afraid Of Everyone, Space Invader, Slow Show, Eucalyptus, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Apartment Story, Abel, Hey Rosie, Rylan, Geese Of Beverly Road, Mistaken For Strangers, I Need My Girl, Smoke Detector and About Today.

See if you want to keep listening after that. 

[fraybentos1]

On 3/16/2024 at 8:32 PM, wairey said:

I’m 27 and have never heard of the National. Where is a good place to start? There are no Sunday headliners screaming at me so I’m a ‘swing voter’ as it stands

Trouble will find me is their most accessible album imo

[charlierc]

55 minutes ago, matrainertje said:

Make a playlist with these songs: Fake Empire, Afraid Of Everyone, Space Invader, Slow Show, Eucalyptus, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Apartment Story, Abel, Hey Rosie, Rylan, Geese Of Beverly Road, Mistaken For Strangers, I Need My Girl, Smoke Detector and About Today.

See if you want to keep listening after that. 

I assume they'll play England at Glastonbury, so maybe lob in that one too.

[Little Andy]

Update on my journey discovering The National :

After enjoying Boxer, I've now been looping over High Violet. I prefer Boxer, but High Violet is still rather nice. I thought England was my favourite track, but that may be changing with more listens.

[st dan]

6 hours ago, Little Andy said:

Update on my journey discovering The National :

After enjoying Boxer, I've now been looping over High Violet. I prefer Boxer, but High Violet is still rather nice. I thought England was my favourite track, but that may be changing with more listens.

I think if you’ve enjoyed those two, then hopefully there is every chance it will all just click together with TWFM. 
 

[wosman]

https://youtu.be/i8yehVUF8h0?si=a-JdhXq66zQKC4lR

Rylan should be a staple of their setlists, unreal this version

[charlierc]

8 hours ago, wosman said:

https://youtu.be/i8yehVUF8h0?si=a-JdhXq66zQKC4lR

Rylan should be a staple of their setlists, unreal this version

They played both that and Light Years when I saw them in Milan in 2018 before they were both present on I Am Easy To Find and I thought they were both really good. Even if that album has a bit of a hit-and-miss reputation, they're both cool options to pick for a show.

Saying that, they could easily be 4 hours long setlists if they throw in everything.

[st dan]

Have the latest two albums suddenly really clicked with anybody else recently? Whilst I did enjoy them when they were originally released, I can’t stop listening to them lately. I think a combined 12 song album would be right up there with their very best. Something like:

1. Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
2. Eucalyptus 
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. Weird Goodbyes (ft. Bon Iver)
5.  This Isn’t Helping (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
6. Once Upon a Poolside (ft. Surfjan Stevens)
7.  Tropic Morning News
8. The Alcott (ft. Taylor Swift)
9.  Grease In Your Hair
10. Alphabet City
11.  Hornets
12. Smoke Detector

Really can’t wait to see them multiple times this summer. What a band!

Edited March 21 by st dan

[nikkic]

57 minutes ago, st dan said:

Have the latest two albums suddenly really clicked with anybody else recently? Whilst I did enjoy them when they were originally released, I can’t stop listening to them lately. I think a combined 12 song album would be right up there with their very best. Something like:

1. Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
2. Eucalyptus 
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. Weird Goodbyes (ft. Bon Iver)
5.  This Isn’t Helping (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
6. Once Upon a Poolside (ft. Surfjan Stevens)
7.  Tropic Morning News
8. The Alcott (ft. Taylor Swift)
9.  Grease In Your Hair
10. Alphabet City
11.  Hornets
12. Smoke Detector

Really can’t wait to see them multiple times this summer. What a band!

I love them both!

But…….

Not including Alien in the combined list is a travesty my good man! 

[mouserat]

3 hours ago, st dan said:

Have the latest two albums suddenly really clicked with anybody else recently? Whilst I did enjoy them when they were originally released, I can’t stop listening to them lately. I think a combined 12 song album would be right up there with their very best. Something like:

1. Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
2. Eucalyptus 
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. Weird Goodbyes (ft. Bon Iver)
5.  This Isn’t Helping (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
6. Once Upon a Poolside (ft. Surfjan Stevens)
7.  Tropic Morning News
8. The Alcott (ft. Taylor Swift)
9.  Grease In Your Hair
10. Alphabet City
11.  Hornets
12. Smoke Detector

Really can’t wait to see them multiple times this summer. What a band!

There's a music journalist I quite like - Steven Hyden - who put 'Frankenstein Laughs' on his album of the year list, which was his own personalised combo of the two albums. I kind of agree that they are two 7/10 records which can be combined to create one 9/10 without any filler. 

[charlierc]

15 hours ago, st dan said:

Have the latest two albums suddenly really clicked with anybody else recently? Whilst I did enjoy them when they were originally released, I can’t stop listening to them lately. I think a combined 12 song album would be right up there with their very best. Something like:

1. Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
2. Eucalyptus 
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. Weird Goodbyes (ft. Bon Iver)
5.  This Isn’t Helping (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
6. Once Upon a Poolside (ft. Surfjan Stevens)
7.  Tropic Morning News
8. The Alcott (ft. Taylor Swift)
9.  Grease In Your Hair
10. Alphabet City
11.  Hornets
12. Smoke Detector

Really can’t wait to see them multiple times this summer. What a band!

My favourite of the two records is Space Invader so clearly we differ if that's not even making the cut on your combined record.

[nickkkw]

15 hours ago, st dan said:

Have the latest two albums suddenly really clicked with anybody else recently? Whilst I did enjoy them when they were originally released, I can’t stop listening to them lately. I think a combined 12 song album would be right up there with their very best. Something like:

1. Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
2. Eucalyptus 
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. Weird Goodbyes (ft. Bon Iver)
5.  This Isn’t Helping (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
6. Once Upon a Poolside (ft. Surfjan Stevens)
7.  Tropic Morning News
8. The Alcott (ft. Taylor Swift)
9.  Grease In Your Hair
10. Alphabet City
11.  Hornets
12. Smoke Detector

Really can’t wait to see them multiple times this summer. What a band!

Put in Alien and Laugh Track for This Isn't Helping & The Alcott and you have yourself a deal. I could also get on board with Space Invader for Hornets in fact.

Edited March 21 by nickkkw

[Porcelina]

Even nearly a year later, Frankenstein does very little for me. There's something hollow about it. I think it's the real lack of Bryan's drums that takes the pulse away from the majority of tracks.

Laugh Track meanwhile, is my favourite since TWFM. Coat on a Hook is the only filler.

[JonnyG]

I love The National, and I would hope they'll do some of their more immediate songs to hook the casual listeners.  Some of the earlier classics took a while to land for me, requiring repeat hearings to engage, while a number off the last couple of records have more linear structures with quite hooky choruses, so I'd expect a sprinkling of those.  So long as the brilliant Weird Goodbyes is one, I'll be happy.

[st dan]

On 3/21/2024 at 6:38 AM, nikkic said:

I love them both!

But…….

Not including Alien in the combined list is a travesty my good man! 

I’ll hold my hands up, Alien had previously failed to really grab my attention and was one I glossed over. But since you posted this, I have given it the time and attention it deserves .. and you are quite right - a really great song  song! So, thank you! 

[st dan]

9 hours ago, JonnyG said:

I love The National, and I would hope they'll do some of their more immediate songs to hook the casual listeners.  Some of the earlier classics took a while to land for me, requiring repeat hearings to engage, while a number off the last couple of records have more linear structures with quite hooky choruses, so I'd expect a sprinkling of those.  So long as the brilliant Weird Goodbyes is one, I'll be happy.

In a similar note, there can’t have been many acts who have headlined The Other Stage who don’t have a single ‘hit’ that the casual music fan would know (in the UK at least). I mean, what would their one song be at a push? Have they had any singles with radio airtime?
They are more well known for the Dessner/Swift connection than their own music.

I adore them, so obviously these are not my personal views and everybody else is missing out.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, st dan said:

I’ll hold my hands up, Alien had previously failed to really grab my attention and was one I glossed over. But since you posted this, I have given it the time and attention it deserves .. and you are quite right - a really great song  song! So, thank you! 

Only just reminded thanks to this that it was played in my Ally Pally setlist.

Maybe it slipped my mind because it was in-between Abel and Mistaken for Strangers, which were high on the list of things I was hoping to see.

[Badlands]

12 hours ago, st dan said:

In a similar note, there can’t have been many acts who have headlined The Other Stage who don’t have a single ‘hit’ that the casual music fan would know (in the UK at least). I mean, what would their one song be at a push? Have they had any singles with radio airtime?
They are more well known for the Dessner/Swift connection than their own music.

I adore them, so obviously these are not my personal views and everybody else is missing out.

System probably the closest to a crossover for me.  And LCD headlined Other - probably equal in the minimal extent of a ‘casual’.

[The Other Steve]

On 3/24/2024 at 7:55 PM, st dan said:

In a similar note, there can’t have been many acts who have headlined The Other Stage who don’t have a single ‘hit’ that the casual music fan would know (in the UK at least). I mean, what would their one song be at a push? Have they had any singles with radio airtime?
They are more well known for the Dessner/Swift connection than their own music.

I adore them, so obviously these are not my personal views and everybody else is missing out.

About Today for me is something very special but people will probably know it more for it's movie placements particularly at the end of The Warrior which is just a great use of the song.  Hardly any talking, just the music to end the film.

 

If you not watched the movie do not watch this spoiler.

 

 

[internetjef]

Radio 6 play pretty much everything they put out but can’t imagine much has troubled radio 1 airplay.

 

[nickkkw]

2 hours ago, The Other Steve said:

About Today for me is something very special but people will probably know it more for it's movie placements particularly at the end of The Warrior which is just a great use of the song.  Hardly any talking, just the music to end the film.

 

If you not watched the movie do not watch this spoiler.

 

 

Its a great song, although after seeing the live version a few times, it's difficult for the album version to really stand out as much. They slow it down and strip it back a lot more live & it hits harder - especially if they close out the show with it which they sometimes do.

[marktea]

As another ‘floating voter’ I have very limited knowledge of their back catalogue other than an occasional addiction to Bloodbuzz Ohio, which I love. Obviously this song alone will be enough to make sure that I do some more listening to help make a choice, but was just wondering whether those in the know reckon this song is representative or an outlier? 

[nikkic]

33 minutes ago, marktea said:

As another ‘floating voter’ I have very limited knowledge of their back catalogue other than an occasional addiction to Bloodbuzz Ohio, which I love. Obviously this song alone will be enough to make sure that I do some more listening to help make a choice, but was just wondering whether those in the know reckon this song is representative or an outlier? 

It’s a masterpiece.

As is 99% of their music. 

Therefore it is representative x

[charlierc]

22 hours ago, The Other Steve said:

About Today for me is something very special but people will probably know it more for it's movie placements particularly at the end of The Warrior which is just a great use of the song.  Hardly any talking, just the music to end the film.

 

If you not watched the movie do not watch this spoiler.

 

 

It was quite something to listen to the recorded version, which is quite sparse and folksy, then they regularly play live this version which is very intense.