Mistaken for Strangers is a little more like it but the melody is forgettable and so are the vocals; Vocals kinda sound Interpol-ish but they're mixed so lowly and it makes feel kinda muddy.

Okay on 2nd Listen :

I like the National a lot but I don't really like how everything feels so overblown a lot of the times. If it's not instrumentally it's lyrically. Some of the songs here are lyrically mediocre or uninteresting. "Brainy" is particularly blegh, despite having interesting instrumentals. Squalor Victoria is interesting but it kind of ends abruptly without much consequence to the record, plus I find the brief mention of a similar concept in "Baby We'll Be Fine" to be much more intriguing(I like to see how the normality affects his personal life). Both of those tracks are still 3.5'-4s but they aren't exactly spectacular to me.

I really like the first 2 or so minutes of Apartment Story but when they blow up I just lose interest, it seems so artificial and manufactured...so "National". Guest Room is just blegh, honestly. Ada I probably don't give enough credit to, I just can't be bothered to remember it much on second listen. Gospel is really really good.

Fake Empire, Mistaken for Strangers, Green Gloves, Slow Show, Start A War, Racing Like A Pro, and Gospel are all really amazing. I just wish Apartment didn't have that ending ... it's honestly pretty amazing for a majority of it.

And honestly ... it's like anything this band does that isn't 100% amazing just blows past me, because everything is so "National" that I end up loving a set of songs that are prefect and not the other songs much if they have one or two flaws. Sometimes the vocals and lyrics are just so blegh.

"Fake Empire just sounds like a erectile dysfunction medicine infomercial"

L O L I don't know why Erections came to your mind dreamgazing that's certainly not something I thought up!

Brainy is actually my favorite thus far. It has good production and tho I still hate the vocals, it actually has energy, it actually advances forward, has a direction.

" It has good production and tho I still *has amazing vocals, it actually has energy, it actually advances forward, has a direction. "

That's literally Fake Empire tho

Nah, Fake Empire's resolution feels cheap and fabricated to me.

Love the drumming in Squalor Victoria

You're gonna love Apartment Story then! oh boy!

tbh if you don't love Green Gloves or Slow Show I'll killded you till ur dead

As far as lyricism goes... It's by far the weakest link. Themes of growing old have better, more eloquently beem explored in single songs by other bands as compared to the National's entire discography.

Slow Show and Brainy have been my standouts so far

BAD OPINIONS. that's it. YOU CANT TALK TO THIS HEAD ANYMORE(hehe).

o wait u said slow show okay u can talk to me but only on weekends

hmmmHmmmmmMmm
Apartment Story really really reminds me of All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem

ALA
What was that one female singer u said u wish would make it to the 27 club or something like that

Gotta clean up on my Sput lore

"ALA
What was that one female singer u said u wish would make it to the 27 club or something like that"

Lorde hahaa

Album Rating: 4.0

Ada might be my favorite on this album right now.

Album Rating: 4.5

Brainy, slow show, racing like a pro and Ada are my faves nowadays

Slow Show just ...

god

seriously one of the best songs ever

Album Rating: 5.0

YES ALA

Album Rating: 4.0

This band is exactly like Lambchop in that they're not a two listen instant magic weaver.

If you think it's 'good' now patience , time and repeated listens reward greatly.