Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

It deserves it, my dude.

[2, duh]

Album Rating: 5.0

bumped to a 4.7

This is now my #2 National behind HV

Album Rating: 4.5

Definitely deserves that 4+ average rating, hopefully finishes top 2 on the 2017 chart

Album Rating: 5.0

I think rn it #6 on my end of year behind Science Fiction, Go Farther in Lightness, Black Mile to the Surface, Crack-Up, and Melodrama.

But if this makes the leap to 5 by December (which it easily could), then it has the emotional appeal/connection to leapfrog a few of those.

Album Rating: 4.0

I think this will stay a 4 for me a bit longer than i expected

Album Rating: 4.0

So far, I find it less interesting than High Violet and Trouble Will Find Me. Hopefully, I'll like it more after another round of listens, I want to love this record too.

Album Rating: 4.4 | Sound Off

This, To the Bone by Steven Wilson, and SF by Brand New are easily my top 3. Next tier is Julius Caesar by Ulver, Crack-up by Fleet Foxes, Slowdive, and Planetarium.



I don't ever see this eclipsing their classic 3 for me.

Album Rating: 4.5

When I first heard this, I was sure I'd like this substantially less than their previous 4. I still might like it slightly less, but it has grown on me immensely - much more than I thought it would - and it's still growing. There are still some things here I really don't like. I see this topic has been well-tread, but I've disliked Turtleneck in its entirety since first listen and I think I hate it more on each new one. No idea what they saw in that song.



There are a couple other tracks I haven't totally fallen in love with yet, though "Day I Die" is not one of them. I'm surprised to see some people not loving that one - it's nothing new for them really but it's pretty perfect to my ears. I do find some of the electronics here to sound shockingly amateurish, which is odd because at other points they're beautiful. The weak drum machine drums on the title track really take away from what's an otherwise stunning track. They're blended much better in "Guilty Party" (possibly my favorite track here), but I still don't really understand why they're in there at all.



The highs are incredible though, as always, and it's mostly easy for me to look past the flaws I see here because most of them are pretty minor in the big picture. It's probably my AOTY, though there's a lot I haven't listened to yet.

Day I Die rules agreed

Album Rating: 4.0

first Natty gig since 2011 tonight, stoked

Album Rating: 4.5

You'll love it Grouse, they were immense when I caught them supporting TWFM

but I still don't really understand why they're in there at all

^^^ couldn't agree more

just lol at having bryan devenGOAT in your band and arseing about with $5 drum machines instead

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Sounds like you're judging it for what it isn't rather than what it is which is unfair. Plus it's not like all the drums on this are programmed, for the most part they're not.

Album Rating: 2.5

Doesn't do much. :/

Album Rating: 4.4 | Sound Off

Dark Side of the Gym is becoming one of my favorite National songs. It's like the City Middle of this album.

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

That's still easily my favorite on this. Absolutely lovely.

I have dreams of anonymous castrati

Singing to us from the trees

Album Rating: 4.4 | Sound Off

The t/t is also beautiful. The experimental, repetitive nature of it is divisive for some fans but I love it.

It's such a good closer, the way it recalls the rest of the album while still being its own odyssey. Kinda sounds like the skeleton of a few other songs on here but this time they let all the electronic flourishes run wild. And that brief swell of strings at the very end reminds me of a sunrise or something

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

cylinder, funny you say that because there's actually a pretty interesting relationship between the closer and Guilty Party. Basically, IIRC, when Matt was given the beginnings of SWB he didn't really like it, but he took the track and stripped it down to the drums and then wrote Guilty Party to that. Guilty Party then became its own thing, but Matt was convinced of the potential of SWB so they decided to finish it and it became what we have on the album.