Album Rating: 5.0

Their streak from Boxer to Trouble deserves atleast a 4.5 avg

Album Rating: 5.0

This is so much better than Boxer it's silly

Lies and heresy! but definitely in the same conversation

Album Rating: 4.0

Boxer is so much better

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

both are in that god tier. splitting hairs if you're gonna claim one is better than the other

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Nah this is their peak

Album Rating: 5.0

I got into this band with HV and had my heart shattered into a thousand pieces over the former love of my life with it playing in the car and now I can't hear any part of it and not become immersed in all the horrible feels. Sounds like a bad thing but since I'm an adult now who feels nothing and is a part of the machine, it's nice to return to that time.



Boxer I listened to like every 2 years since then in a pointless attempt to make it mean something to me, but it's nothing more than a collection of good songs.

This and Boxer are great but only lads with true taste know that Trouble Will Find Me is unequivocally their best (and therefore most under-appreciated) album.

Album Rating: 5.0

most underappreciated is between TWFM and SWB

best is between HV and SWB

Album Rating: 5.0

All of Alligator through SWB are 5s, but agreed with Art that this and Boxer are the ones in that true next-level god-tier. TWFM is there on its best days too, which is to say, most days.

Album Rating: 5.0

It makes me sad how much of an afterthought SWB seems to be, though. (even though I think it was the staff album of 2017, lol). But any time discussion of their discog surfaces, it's always buried somewhere in the middle ranks. There's some days I think it's their best album outright, but usually returning to HV puts me in my place.

Album Rating: 5.0

To say SWB is my 5th favorite National is not to downplay it at all, it would be nearly any other artist's best album by far.

Album Rating: 5.0

I know exactly what you mean, but once SWB hits the stretch of:

8. I’ll Still Destroy You

9. Guilty Party

10. Carin At The Liquor Store

11. Dark Side Of The Gym

12. Sleep Well Beast

...I become out of arguments as to why it's not their best.

HV only edges SWB for me because the whole album is better (although the 3-track stretch of Conversation 16, England, and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks is untouchable)

My god what a fantastic band.

Album Rating: 5.0

Agreed that that closing run is absolutely insane (though it really kicks in at "Guilty Party" rather than "Destroy" for me). Personally though, that's the section that elevates it to 5 territory, so it's definitely not enough to make it their best.

In contrast, every song on this is a personal 5/5 for me - the only album I know where that's the case. So in that sense there's still a notable gap between this and SWB for me, but practically speaking it is splitting hairs.

Album Rating: 5.0

'I'll Still Destroy You' and 'Dark Side of the Gym' are a bit insubstantial in the tune department



They also both tanked live when I watched them performed



Not great songs but ok album tracks because the instrumentation/production is v nice

I'll Still Destroy You has a gorgeous chorus though. Also Brainy is a top 5 National track and they never play that live; can see why some of their best cuts work much better on stage than others

Album Rating: 5.0

Yeah, I'll Still Destroy You is top 3 on the album for me and some days my favorite. It's also probably the most ~tuneful~ melody on the album so I don't think you can resign it to 'insubstantial' in that sense. Same goes for Dark Side of the Gym, you literally picked the two strongest melodies lol.

Never seen them perform this album live though so I can understand how a weak showing in that regard would lessen your opinion of the tracks.

Album Rating: 5.0

I dislike the chorus melody on Destroy You and the 'epic finale' is the most 'bolted on' incongruous moment in their entire catalogue

Album Rating: 5.0

You can dislike the melody but that doesn't make it not melodic. So it's still the most tuneful, you just hate that tune, which is fine. Agreed about the song's outro being a little incongruous with the rest of the song, but I don't think the transition is particularly painful and once it gets going it's great.

Album Rating: 5.0

The chorus is Matt at his most offhand 'tra la la' and then it ramps up to this Radiohead-alike swirling strings thing - I will never understand the song lol



should have called it 'we love this new studio' - I would have respected it more, at least it would have been a decent joke