AmericanFlagAsh: Top 15 National Songs

AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	This one is for Doof and his terrible taste
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Well that comment may backfire when I 50% agree with this list... :/
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	I have terrible taste too
JohnnyoftheWell 03.04.20	Good list, only tracks here I get a kneejerk against are Rylan (good but v avg National) and Secret Meeting (Karen gang where you at). Everything else is great, need to jam those ep tracks
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	The EP tracks are so overlooked! The first 3 on Virginia and All Dolled-Up In Straps through About Today on Cherry Tree are so good.
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Pink Rabbits 5/5 fair enough pick Bloodbuzz Ohio 4.5/5 bit of a boring pick but groovy Slow Show 5/5 in their top 2 songs so great About Today 5/5 bit of a boring pick but groovy Fake Empire 5/5 has to be there I'll Destroy You 2.5/5 no relation to its neighbours Rylan 4/5 solid but nowhere near top 10 Exile Vilify 5/5 it's up there, prob not top 10, but it's up there This is the Last Time 5/5 interesting pick, close to top 10 Blank Slate 5/5 this makes 10th spot in my top 10 Conversation 16 5/5 near top 10 All the Wine 3.5/5 overrated but significant tune for them Don't Swallow the Cap 4.5/5 interesting pick, love this tune but not a 5 rating Where is Her Head 3.5/5 one of the least National'y National songs but it's ok, not top 15 in a million years Secret Meeting 4.5/5 it's up there but not a 5 rating Most glaring omissions for me: Sorrow (criminal!), Lemonworld (criminal!) Brainy (criminal!), VanderlyleLucky You
Pangea 03.04.20	Good list. 1 would be my 1 as well. Nice to blank slate too, underrated song
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	The only one of those I love is Fake Empire (which I included), Sorrow is a bit boring, Lemonworld is great but not top, Brainy same thing, Vanderlyle hits in context of the album, Lucky You I don't like
Pangea 03.04.20	Yeah i would include fake empire and possibly lucky you. The others you list doof not quite
DoofDoof 03.04.20	'Sorrow is a bit boring' it's their greatest song...hmmm
Pangea 03.04.20	I do agree that all the wine is overrated
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Pangea - I like that people like All the Wine and it has an almost legendary reputation with fans...but I just find it a bit pedestrian. It was the worst song in the set when I caught them live the first time. It just came across really lumpen and ill fitting compared to their new stuff.
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Fake Empire is #5, I love that song so much Terrible Love I might have left out
Pangea 03.04.20	@ doof Yeah i feel the same. I understand its reputation but it doesn't really do it for me. It is also the only national song where i don't care for the lyrics
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Terrible Love is amazing live and should make a top 25/30 - on record it's missing something a tiny bit, just enough to take the shine off
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Really? I love the lyrics to All the Wine. Overblown hubris brought out by alcohol with vivid imagery of the city.
DoofDoof 03.04.20	This was my list but it would have changed a bit by now. Don't think 'Humiliation' would be quite as high, or 'Lucky You' https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?memberid=1121802&listid=187595
Pangea 03.04.20	@flagash it is probably the overblown hubris that turns me off. Especially the lyric "I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls" just comes across as weird to me
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Demons at 11... I find that song one of the worst on Trouble Humiliation is alright, but wouldn't make my top 50 Sleep Well Beast at 19 is interesting Baby We'll Be Fine sucks
DoofDoof 03.04.20	The verses on 'Demons' are so good, almost career best I have a soft spot for TWFM overall
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Verse 1 and the bridge are amazing you're right, but the chorus is so annoying to me
DoofDoof 03.04.20	I didn't really like the chorus until I always focused on the faint choral female backing vocals
Clumseee 03.04.20	Great thread. Quiet Light, The Pull of You, Guilty Party, Demons, Graceless, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonwlorld, Brainy, Guest Room, Looking for Astronauts, The Geese of Beverly Road, Wasp Nest, About Today, Think You Can Wait
anat 03.04.20	There is no way you can convince me that any songs from IAETF should be anywhere near the top 25 Ntl songs
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Just because IAETF didn't live up to the rest of their albums as a whole doesn't mean there weren't a few amazing gems in there
theBoneyKing 03.04.20	“Quiet Light”, “Light Years”, and “Rylan” are up there
anat 03.04.20	There are good songs on it, but top 25? Not a chance
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	I mean to each their own, but I go back to 4 songs all the time
anat 03.04.20	I now realise this is top 15, not 25, which is even worse
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	I think a lot of people agree Rylan is a top National song As for the others, it's personal preference. Where Is Her Head I think is a masterpiece, even if it doesn't sound much like The National.
anat 03.04.20	Not In Kansas would probably be my highest rated IAETF track but eh... if I had to hazard a guess it might crack 40-50
DoofDoof 03.04.20	The middle 8 on ‘Demons’ is one of their best, love that bit too
Pangea 03.04.20	Not in kansas is my favourite iaetf song too. Might make my top 15 actually
Clumseee 03.04.20	I'm a pretty die hard Natty fan and yeah Quiet Like is DEFINITELY a top tier song and if you don't think so you're just scared. Also I really like the Pull of You. :)
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Quiet Light is the best but also quite over familiar
Clumseee 03.04.20	That's a good point. Quiet Light is pretty much the National summed up.
theBoneyKing 03.04.20	The strings at the end of “Quiet Light” might be my favorite use of strings in any National song.
DoofDoof 03.04.20	You know when you’re watching a show too much - the whole time I was listening to ‘Humiliation’ today I was picturing Bojack Horseman singing the lines
neekafat 03.04.20	14 is 1
DoofDoof 03.04.20	Yikes Or maybe ‘Neeks!’
Larkinhill 03.04.20	Mine is much different but I love that you included I’ll Still Destroy You. Very underrated. Secret Meeting, Conversation 16 are good picks. But no Mr. November? Terrible Love? Sorrow? I Should Live in Salt? Hard to Find? The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness? Looking for Astronauts? Geese of Beverly Road? Slipping Husband? Lucky You? A lot of glaring omissions imo.
tectactoe 03.04.20	Honestly it'd be hard to construct a list of fifteen bad National songs, so you've got that going for you. Mine would look something like this: 1. I Should Live in Salt 2. Fake Empire 3. Sorrow 4. Slow Show 5. Don't Swallow the Cap 6. Guilty Party 7. Brainy 8. Baby, We'll Be Fine 9. Hard to Find 10. Secret Meeting 11. Pink Rabbits 12. Lemonworld 13. Graceless 14. The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness 15. Bloodbuzz Ohio Honorable Mentions: Daughters of the Soho Riots; All the Wine; The Geese of Beverly Road; Apartment Story; Afraid of Everyone; Demons; Sea of Love; This Is the Last Time; Nobody Else Will Be There; I'll Still Destroy You; Rylan; Quiet Light
theBoneyKing 03.04.20	Saying "Where Is Her Head" is the best National song is a great way of saying you don't like The National.
NorthernSkylark 03.04.20	daughters of the soho riots appears to be missing
Gyromania 03.04.20	God damn man, pink rabbits and bloodbuzz ohio are sooooo overrated
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Whoever thinks Baby We'll Be Fine belongs in the top 50 National songs I'm dismissing
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Bloodbuzz is nostalgic and still hits, Pink Rabbits is not overrated at all
BigHans 03.04.20	Doof youre dead to me All the Wine is the best song ever
Pangea 03.04.20	Baby we'll be fine is underrated as hell. Great melody and one of their best songs lyrically
Gyromania 03.04.20	Wow someone other than me who thinks baby we'll be fine is great. The melody is so good, that violin in the second chorus always gets me and yeah one of their best songs lyrically
Gyromania 03.04.20	I should live in salt is underrated too Idk pink rabbits does nothing for me. The piano melody is extremely underwhelming and it just seems to go on forever
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Baby We'll Be Fine is the worst song on Alligator by a mile for me The 3 song stretch through Val Jester is actually what bogs down that album for me It sounds like older National where he couldn't quite get the singing to sound great with the instrumentals and melodies
AmericanFlagAsh 03.04.20	Everything about Pink Rabbits is perfection
JohnnyoftheWell 03.04.20	Whoever thinks Baby We'll Be Fine belongs in the top 50 National songs I'm dismissing [2] Not quite the worst on Alligator but very not great
Larkinhill 03.04.20	Idk pink rabbits does nothing for me. The piano melody is extremely underwhelming and it just seems to go on forever I love the last minute and a half/two mins or so, but the rest doesn’t do much for me either.
tectactoe 03.04.20	You guys are crazy, Baby We’ll Be Fine is excellente.
Icebloom 03.05.20	Woah very very nice top 5. List needs Humiliation, Brainy and England
Icebloom 03.05.20	People discussing IAETF all sleeping on So Far So Fast, easily best song there.
AngryJohnny 03.05.20	Geese has to be here as does Apartment Story
Sinternet 03.05.20	idk when it became acceptable to not include mr november and available in your top 10 but you should all be ashamed
AmericanFlagAsh 03.05.20	Apartment Story would be top 20, Mr. November is kind of annoying
Sinternet 03.05.20	mr november is annoying but you have rylan here pretty lol
JohnnyoftheWell 03.05.20	Both are overrated lol
AmericanFlagAsh 03.05.20	Huh? Since when does Rylan have an annoying, repetitive, yelling chorus? Make it make sense if you're gonna come for me I love everything about that song except that part, just like Demons
AmericanFlagAsh 03.05.20	The only highly repetitive song on my list here is Where Is Her Head, but that's what I love about it. It's hypnotic. All the Wine's chorus is a bit repetitive too, but I don't find the melody obnoxious. Demons' is so deadpan it annoys me, and Mr. November's is the opposite, where I just get tired of hearing it. Also the reason I don't care much for Anyone's Ghost
tectactoe 03.05.20	justice for baby we'll be fine
Sinternet 03.05.20	possibly the soyest take i've ever heard
AmericanFlagAsh 03.05.20	At least I have takes
anat 03.05.20	Rylan sounds like an iPod ad
AmericanFlagAsh 03.05.20	Is that an insult?
tectactoe 03.05.20	why are we not talking about how great Guilty Party is
Pangea 03.05.20	Guilty party is a good shout. Also one of their best song lyrically
Minushuman24 03.05.20	boo
Sunnyvale 03.06.20	So many brilliant songs, hard to make a list like this
TalonsOfFire 03.06.20	Mine would be something like this: 1. Terrible Love (alt. version) 2. Apartment Story 3. The Geese of Beverly Road 4. Mistaken for Strangers 5. Conversation 16 6. Exile Vilify 7. Fake Empire 8. This is the Last Time 9. Guest Room 10. Sea of Love 11. All the Wine 12. Graceless 13. Don't Swallow the Cap 14. Secret Meeting 15. Rylan or Dark Side Of The Gym or Ada idk
AmericanFlagAsh 03.06.20	Now Talons picks I can get behind
Larkinhill 03.07.20	In no order whatsoever: Fake Empire Available I’ll Still Destroy You Slow Show Secret Meeting Conversation 16 Mr. November Bloodbuzz Ohio Terrible Love Sorrow Slipped I Should Live in Salt Hard to Find The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness Looking for Astronauts Geese of Beverly Road Slipping Husband Lucky You
Minushuman24 03.07.20	this was hard--in order from best to not the best Daughters of the Soho Riots City Middle Conversation 16 Sorrow Secret Meeting Fake Empire Available Brainy Where is Her Head I Need My Girl Baby, We'll Be Fine Mistaken For Strangers Terrible Love All The Wine Karen
NorthernSkylark 03.08.20	yay! daughters and brainy ^ Also, Lemonworld would probabaly make my top20
TalonsOfFire 04.23.20	Terrible Love (alt. version)>Apartment Story>Geese>Strangers>Conversation 16=Exile Vilify>Fake Empire>Guest Room>England>Secret Meeting>Last Time>All the Wine>Bloodbuzz>Graceless>Dark Side of the Gym>Sea of Love>Swallow the Cap>Destroy You>Rylan=Ada>Pink Rabbits would be my picks. 📦er, HV, & 🐊are top 3. SWB is slightly better than Trouble overall, but Trouble has more bestest songs.