Entertainment For Lively Minds
High Violet - The National
Posted by Pat Carty on 10 May 2010 - 4:07pm.
Wow it's good, are their other records worth checking out?
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Absolutely!
Their previous two albums (Boxer and Alligator) are both very good indeed.
I'd recommend checking them both out but if you needed some convincing go with Boxer first. If you're not hooked after 'Fake Empire' and 'Mistaken For Strangers', then ... err... listen again!
I think they're both on Spotify...
Yes
Alligator is arguably the album of the 00s.
Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers
Is also fantastic. Think I have posted it before but...
yes,
Fake Empire is one hell of a choon.
Yes indeedy
Lunchtime today, I went all old-skool and walked to the local record shop (admittedly, HMV) and procured a physical copy of the latest elpee, with real cash money.
Boxer is very good too
Hell Yes!
http://www.emusic.com/artist/The-National-MP3-Download/11584626.html
http://open.spotify.com/artist/2cCUtGK9sDU2EoElnk0GNB
Oh yes
Boxer and Alligator are great.
You need everything...
...because The National is the greatest band of the 21st century. You also need to see them live as this adds a further dimension. I would start with either Boxer or Alligator - both are brilliant and probably two of the best five albums of the last 10 years. After this, see if you can find the Cherry Tree EP, then Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers and finally the first album, The National.
You have to listen to the albums a few times and all the way through to pick up the full subtlety. I've only listened to High Violet six times and I know my eventual favourites will be different to the tracks I like now.
Electric Picnic In September
I'll be seeing them then, looking forward to it
Yes But...
I'm listening to High Violet and am really enjoying it so far -though the studio version of "Terrible Love" doesn't appeal as much as the one they performed on the Fallon show a while back.
But! With both Alligator and Boxer I ended up feeling compelled to snip a couple of tracks that didn't carry their weight so to speak. I fully expect I will have to do likewise with the new one eventually.
When they're good though, they're very good.
Really? Which tracks?
I do this regularly but I've found that National tracks reveal themselves over time. Which ones did you snip?
The National Snip
OK... I need to define this via "Track Numbers" missing from Itunes. ok?
Alligator, I said goodbye to tracks 1,2,4,6,7 and 12. Boxer, I only waved cheerio to song number 11. I've owned Boxer for less time than I have Alligator though so maybe I'll yet push a couple down the stairs.
Now I'm not claiming there was anything wrong with these songs, merely that, for me, they had outlived their usefulness, and no longer pushed my buttons by repeated listening. Responders considering responses of the sort: "You're a fool, 'x' is a brilliant song" should read that last bit again.
Fair enough
I've just listened to Boxer all the way through again and track 11 is Ada which is periodically my favourite on the album although not at the moment. However, every song on Boxer moves into favourite status at some point or another. I don't think I have listened to an album as much as I have listened to Boxer since the early days of REM.
I'm surprised you've snipped out nearly half of Alligator but each to his own.
Ada.
Mmmm.
Snipping
I would agree with you there, I think both Alligator and Boxer have a couple of weak tracks. On Boxer there's The Guest Room, which I've never liked and on Alligator both Lit Up and Looking For Astronauts have always seemed out of place, quality wise.
Horses Courses
Lit Up is excellent in my opinion and Looking for Astronauts is my second favourite song on the album, after All The Wine.
A band at the height of their powers
I have played High Violet through twice this afternoon and can't recall being quite so absorbed by a new album in a very long time. Yesterday's S. Times described it as a masterpiece which seemed a little OTT before hearing it but they may not be far off the mark.
In answer to Pat's original question Boxer and Alligator are both tremendous and worth investigation.
The National
Looks like they're going onto the 'wish list' then.
Absolutely
Saw them at the Royal Albert Hall last week. Very good indeed.
Agreed
I thought they were fantastic. The new stuff has a real energy live & the inclusion of the trumpet & trombone on some of the old numbers was sublime. Its the 9th time I've seen them & they are always excellent
I was there also...
It's on eMusic for those that subscribe
Although Amazon got my order today - can't beat a CD when the band is this good.
Have I missed the Word
review?
Yes, they're great.
New album is amazing, and so are the old ones - Boxer is my personal favourite.
I was introduced to The National courtesy of 'Fake Empire' featuring on one of the Word covermount CDs...
My favourite The National song, though, is 'About Today' which is on the Cherry Tree EP, or, there's a very good live version on the 'Virginia' EP.
Deffo
I have both Boxer and Alligator and their strength is that it is hard to pick one track from each as a stand out - their albums really work as whole bodies of work. Likewise High Violet, even though I only got it yesterday. Buy them both one at a time is my advice - give each one the chance to sink in.
But...just to completely contradict what I have just said, the song 'England' (Track 10) from the new one seems a belter.
An excellent band that just keeps getting better
The beauty with them is that every track seems to be a grower! With both Alligator & Boxer I have obsessively listened to each individual song at one time or another.
They are the only band that would have me waiting outside HMV for it to open on a cold Monday morning (as it was yesterday), and that have me excitedly trawling the internet for lyrics & any rarities I might not yet have discovered (see link)
For any new fans, I would definitely check out the previous 2 albums & if you like them then look at some of the earlier stuff. Some fans really dont like Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers & the debut but they both have some great tunes on.
Alligator, Boxer...Wait
I bought Alligator and Boxer today, for the bargain price of £5.60 each. I am, however, waiting until the weekend before I buy High Violet.
Wow.
I've been living with this record for a week and a half now, and my goodness, it's good. There are moments of such throat-catching beauty, it's all I can do to keep myself together on the train. At the moment, it's hard to narrow down favourite tracks, but today I have Conversation 16, Little Faith and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks on rotation through my brain.
An astonishing piece of work, this album.
Wow indeed, idiotbear
I'm miles behind everyone here, it seems. So while you're all enjoying High Violet, I'm still reading through the National threads here on the Word blog, and have just listened to Boxer on Spotify for the first time. Alligator (and High Violet) will have to wait. Great stuff, looks like this will be my first CD purchase in two or three months.
Thanks for the recommendations.