Album Rating: 5.0

lol oh no rowan that wasn't directed at you! i quite like i am easy to find and am happy to know that you do as well



just makin fun of myself for always being tepid on later national albums until i age five years and them i'm like 'ah yes, this is the best possible album to pair with my new vintage wine collection and listen to as i adjust the bow tie on my suit but can never get it quite right'

Album Rating: 4.5

Kinda the opposite for me, loved them as a kid, and still love them now but they grew off me a bit. I guess I gravitate to more “colourful” music nowadays (still love Natty and this album though don’t get me wrong)

Album Rating: 5.0

> Most of the best songs on Boxer resembling this is a dumb argument because most of them demonstrate obvious sense of refinement in dynamics and string arrangement, and this is not retroactively applicable

"refinement in dynamics and string arrangement" is great and all, but i'm also looking for the kind of guitar/drum work found here in my national songs

Album Rating: 4.6

I agree that some of their best guitar work is on here. This is their most alive sounding album if that makes sense. HV-onwards is increasingly refined, spacey, and with more layered orchestration/string arrangements.

Boxer is my favorite because it finds the perfect balance of all those elements and just has the best songwriting and most emotional resonance too imo. HV is pretty close and I love the change in sound they went with on it.

i have weird memories of you, pissing in a sink i think

Album Rating: 5.0

Our hands are covered in cake, but I swear we didn’t have any.

val jester < 3

Album Rating: 4.0

City Middle is such a great song.



You said "I think I'm like Tennessee Williams"

I wait for the click, I wait, but it doesn't kick in

Album Rating: 5.0

sad songs - alligator - boxer



the holy trinity of the national never to be defeated

agreed Zorg, that's probably my favourite national lyric

I wait for the click

mmm

Album Rating: 4.5

"sad songs - alligator - boxer



the holy trinity of the national never to be defeated"



sad songs is good but come on now

why reduce it to a holy trilogy when it should be a mount rushmore?
alligator -> boxer -> high violet -> trouble will find me
that is one hell of a quality run, goddamnit anyway

out among the missing sons and daughters of the soho riots...

Album Rating: 4.5

Album starts off perfectly, those first seconds of Secret Meeting always put me in a good mood.



(The rest of the album is okay as well)



And agreed about the mount rushmore thing, those four records are easily their best.

Album Rating: 5.0

High Violet is the worst of the 4

Album Rating: 4.5

Agreed as well. High Violet is a 4.5 to me, all the other ones are easy 5s

Album Rating: 5.0

The last 3 songs on TWFM is such an unbelievable run and what solidifies it at 3rd best for me.



Alligator is my favorite album ever made so that makes it kinda hard to beat haha

Album Rating: 4.5

Yeah Alligator is my second favourite album ever, only behind Boxer, and Trouble is not far off, so the competition for High Violet is really strong. Big fanboy I guess





Agreed about last three songs of Trouble, though I'd extend the run to also include I Need My Girl and especially Slipped. You could say the same thing for Alligator by the way.

best national album i was silly to think otherwise