Review Summary: The National have so perfectly crafted an album to describe the adult feelings, thoughts and actions that we experience every day and help us to mature and enjoy that maturity
Every poignant moment of your entire adult life, could be summed up in the 47 minutes and 40 seconds on
High Violet. After our teenage years have passed us, the passion and fire we felt for everything ranging from relationships to political and social causes may have waned and we find ourselves adrift without an anchor to tether us to this world. In our mid-20’s to early 30’s and beyond we may find ourselves wondering: ‘where did that passion go?’'
The National have so perfectly crafted an album to describe the adult feelings, thoughts and actions that we experience every day and help us to mature and
enjoy that maturity. All of a sudden, the passing of our early youth does not seem so terrible. Remember when you were 18/19 years old and thought of all the things you would do and be, the relationship you would be in, the stars that you would gaze at every night and think to yourself ‘I will never become the jaded adult that I see every day in the world, I will be different’. Where are most of us now? It’s the lucky man (or woman) who actually followed through on those dreams they had. And yet, you listen to this record and you can’t help but feel that maturing, growing older and finding your way isn’t nearly as tragic as you might think.
Terrible Love opens the records on a gorgeous note with layered guitars drenched in effects and soon kicks into an uptempo chorus with impressively complex drumming and hints of piano subtly complimenting the bass . As the record progresses, tracks like
Sorrow and
Bloodbuzz Ohio drown the listener in emotions of melancholy with the equally downtrodden lyrics and haunting melodies.
Lemonworld and
Conversation 16 have incredibly catchy choruses yet suffer from slight repetitiveness. The standout track on the album
England is easily one of the most emotional tracks the bands has written. The song starts off with a slow drumbeat and sweeping violins and eventually climaxes powerfully as every instrument comes together in perfect harmony.
It’s hard to isolate any flaws with
High Violet. The guitars instead of leading the album, are instead a complement to the piano and strings on most songs. Still the chords used are complex and add an essential element to the success of the album. The bass is a driving force in every song, upfront and beautifully in sync with the extremely talented drumming of Bryan Devendorf.
Adulthood is a complex and intriguing part of life and with the right perspective can be the most interesting part of a human beings life. Sure youth is great, but The National have a made a record that shows us adulthood is something to be cherished in all its sorrow and glory.
