I've heard a quarter of this as well as their EP from last year and I'm on the same page as Doof, he's not alone.

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm appreciating this a lot more on the second listen. Let Me Down Easy is a total jam too.

Album Rating: 4.0

Took a hot minute for this to grow on me (even though I expected it to be my AOTY) but I'm listening in much higher quality now and hearing a ton of details I missed on the first few spins. Definitely gonna be bumping the rating. Honestly though I think just cutting Achilles off the album (or replacing it with something shorter and more upbeat) would've been a great choice, that slow section from tracks 5 to 10 kinda drags



Edit: nvm cutting 2 minutes off Achilles would've done the trick

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

achilles is the best song on the album

Album Rating: 4.0

lmao ya achilles kills it

Achilles is too long [12]

Only flaw tho

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

A new National album has come out, comparison is painful sorry, sure they'll be massive down under and I'll eventually eat my hat or whatever but their previous album was only just above average too



My feelings for this lot I'd compare to how I feel about The Walkmen, surface level pleasant enough big n' bland indie rock

Album Rating: 4.7

both came out before and is better than the new national

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Do you like The Walkmen?

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

doof i cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could call this surface level

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Just sounds like a youthful version of the warbly Walkmen to me with lyrics like 'we're gonna kick some ass tonight' in most songs

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

It's like a baby The National or The Walkmen with bad lyrics and the industrial gloss of something like that dirt average Manchester Orchestra album applied.



It's nowt special to my sad old jaded mind.



Give me the real thing. The National or The Walkmen. Actually, not The Walkmen, because I find them boring too.



Take 'The Deepest of Sighs', the misery feels contrived because of the hollywood sheen to the music and the vox. Rings hollow, band sound way to pleased with themselves and happy to be alive. It's a bit disgusting.

Album Rating: 5.0

Contrived? Hollywood sheen to the music and the vox? Industrial gloss? Bad lyrics? Rings hollow? Are we even listening to the same album? Everything about this is so heartfelt, it's more genuine than anything to come out of this shitty genre in years. i don't know what you put in your tea this morning to spur on such a cynical misreading of the lyrics

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

I'm sure they're genuinely having a good time and that that's heartfelt...I don't buy the misery/cynicism when they go for that angle.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

It's like The Killers recording a cover version of 'Sorrow' by The National - some people would love that...some would not.



I would not.



Carry on everyone else.

Album Rating: 3.5

The lyrics are pretty cringe on this numerous times to be fair

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

I mean a 3/5 is a reasonably strong rating for me - the sort of rating that means:



- if I walked into a bar and this band were playing I'd think 'not bad music here, mainstream indie, ok'



- if I went to visit my folks and my dad was playing this I'd think 'geez, the Kings of Leon really got their shit together, nice'.



- if I go to HMV to pick up a CD I'd think 'The Walkmen have made something way more appealing, wonder if I can pick up a copy of this in the bargain tub'.



That sort of bracket, honestly nothing wrong with it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Sorry mate I'm happy to agree to disagree with everything else, but I am completely lost as to why you think the misery is disingenuous. I can't recall many other albums with more emotional intelligence than this one, it's one of the best renditions of unrequited love/mistreatment/break-up and death I've heard easily and it comes from scars you simply can't fake. I just don't understand how you could have come to such a conclusion. And besides that, there are even literary references as far as I can tell to Milan Kundera, Camus and Shakespeare so it's not like we're dealing with some vapid lumberjack making a buckeroo off of affected lyricism, there's real intellectual vigour here. Well in my opinion anyway.

Album Rating: 4.7

jesus christ your taste in lyrics is absolutely appalling doof - then again your only example was literally not even from this album so that makes me think you've listened to this once, half listened to the lyrics of the first two songs and then decided what opinion will get you the highest objectivity score. yawn

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

If it don't transmit it don't transmit.



I'm sure even the Kings of Leon have tackled death, heartbreak and grief in a tune or two. I mean even Chris de Burgh probably has too, even with a few literary references in there for good measure.



I'll keep trying with this band but I don't connect with a single song as of yet is the truth.