Album Rating: 5.0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg2im6mi0eo

Album Rating: 4.0

Haven't listened to this or anything by them in years.

Album Rating: 5.0

"While there are definitely far more great poets than songwriters, I find lyrics put to music far more powerful."



I don't know. Great poetry shouldn't need anything but itself.

Berninger and friends are swell, but there have been much greater wordsmiths.



By the way, I think this band is awesome... I'm just not going blind for them.

Album Rating: 5.0

Well I personally am not a huge fan of poetry in general; often it is too obtuse or self-indulgent on the part of poets. Lyrics on the other hand are easier to understand but also can be very complex without seeming pretentious. But there are the many great poets who do their job well

Album Rating: 5.0

I hear what you're saying. I get that vibe sometimes, as well. Just don't cut yourself short and make some widespread judgement on the lot because of some egomaniacs.

Album Rating: 5.0

I'm certainly open to poetry, it's just not my preferred art form.

Album Rating: 5.0

poetry's cool it's just often very contrived



like literally you can take any mundane block of text and deliver it with a dramatic voice and BOOM suddenly it's a slam poem!

Album Rating: 5.0

Becoming contrived is way too easy, agreed. Let's not be afraid to shine that mirror on ourselves, though. Come on... this is contri...... I mean, sputnik music.

Sha, about 40% of my existence is contrived. I'm working on it.

Album Rating: 5.0

Give em ice for their fevers

You're the only thing I ever want anymore

Album Rating: 2.5

sorrow [43256t68]

Album Rating: 5.0

yea that song rules



I need to relisten to this, might bump my rating

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah this my favorite National album

Album Rating: 5.0

it was my favourite the first time I listened through their discog. it grew off of me though... might grow on me again.



it's a really moody album.

music with lyrics and poetry are two very different things

The National's lyrics might not be great as poems but they were never meant to be that, they were created knowing that they'd be featured in songs. This doesn't mean they're inferior or anything, and one shouldn't view them as a separate part of the music or criticize them as suck

one should only care if the piece of art works and it clicks with you, or not. Matt's lyrics do leave an impact on you when heard on the songs, whether you read them w/o music and you don't like them is irrelevant.

Album Rating: 5.0

idk man I love reading Matt's lyrics



he has such interesting ways of putting really mundane things

yeah but some people might not like them without the music, but that doesn't mean that they're bad

for example, you might not agree but i love the lyrics on "afraid of everyone":

"Your voice is swallowing my so-so-so-soul
Your voice is swallowing my so-so-so-soul
Your voice is swallowing my so-so-so-soul
Your voice is swallowing my so-so-so-soul
Your voice is swallowing my so-so-so-soul"

but if you were to put that in a poem, it wouldn't be very good would it? but it doesn't mean that they're bad lyrics/inferior art, it's just that music and poetry, while both are art, they're very different mediums

spooky rabbit explained it very well in the first paragraph of this imo:

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/64730/Hotel-Books-Im-Almost-Happy-Here-But-I-Never-Feel-At-Home/

Album Rating: 5.0

well if you just put "your voice is swallowing my soul" it would work



all the little vocalizations/repititions don't translate (or at least they shouldn't)

you can write that, i just did

oh, whatever man, i just disagree that lyrics are inferior to poetry just because, when you isolate them from the music, they're not that great. That's taking part of the art away and expecting it to be just as good.