It’s weird that The National b-sides and demos and OST tracks used to feel so effortless, not to speak of their full-length material, and now most of their big release songs feel like they’re not sure what they want to do. I wonder if maybe all the side projects have led to an identity crises now that there isn’t the one outlet to try and channel through.

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

I’m not as unimpressed with this as I was a week ago but it’s still probably their weakest for me. The best part of this album has been revisiting and falling in love with their back catalogue again, and re-evaluating some of the high points on IAETF.

Album Rating: 1.0

'Album Rating: 2.5

I’m doing my best to give this a fair try and I think my enjoyment of it is peaking right about now after about 7 spins.' - Boney, probably Sput's #1 Natty fan

thread /

it's all over, nothing more to see here

Album Rating: 3.0

"The best part of this album has been revisiting and falling in love with their back catalogue again"



Samesies. This got me to go revisit Alligator and Boxer.

Album Rating: 2.5

this has inspired to me to check out all the b-sides and loosies i never really gave the time of day



there's about an hour's worth of them on spotify at the very least

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

They have some classic B-Sides, all of these are better than EVERY song included on this album:



- Exile Vilify [5/5]

- Think You Can Wait [5/5]

- Blank Slate [5/5]

- Lean (Hunger Games Soundtrack)

- Tall Saint

- Driver Surprise Me

- You've Done It Again, Virginia

- So Far Around the Bend (from Dark Was the Night comp)

- Santa Clara

- Wake Up Your Saints



Easily an album's worth of 'album level quality' material to find



Plus you have the 'Cherry Tree' EP which has three or four songs better than anything here.

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

The first two are no longer on Spotify which is a bit tragic, prob on LastFM

Album Rating: 3.3

Speaking on non-album The National songs, has anyone heard "Somebody Desperate" from the Cyrano soundtrack? I heard it for the first time on Spotify the other day and love it-very "by the books" sound for the band, but works well

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

I wonder if these ones they do for soundtracks they get co-song writers in for?



They sound a bit different, similar to 'Lean', a bit cheesier/over sentimental maybe, but effective and maybe more enjoyable.



I quite like this one too Sunnyvale. They're cool as one off tracks, you wouldn't want an album of them.

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

lol listening to just the chorus of 'Think You Can Wait' and that's got more to unwrap than this entire album, absolute brilliance that one



'We've been running a sleepless run

Been away from the baby way too long

We've been holding a good night gun

We've been losing our exits one by one

I'm out of my mind

Think you can wait'



The way Matt sings this, so good

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Somebody Desperate was very good. Cyrano was decent but Dessner’s score was the best part.

Album Rating: 3.5

the alcott worse on the album confirmed

If I remember correctly, 'Think You Can Wait' was created for a movie named Win Win starring Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan. Good movie. I was surprised when I heard it playing over the credits. Oddly enough, there are two recordings around, not sure which one I prefer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0zo8AFXx-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzJ2ORXoZA8

Album Rating: 2.0

has anyone wet their paws to report on whether the new Ed Sheeran is better than this?

listened to the first 30 seconds of each, new ed is obviously the superior work

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

The Sheeran is like ‘The Alcott’ level the whole way through, so yeah it’s worse

Album Rating: 2.0

I am trying to work my way through this thing again and, man, it's just not good.



The band spends the entire album hinting and beckoning and insisting that something exciting will happen, that all this build-up was for something, but it never comes. It really feels like they've lost the plot after Sleep Well Beast, completely unable or unwilling to do anything that gets the blood pumping or the heart wanting. It's like they made an entire album that you can jam without waking up someone in the same room as you.



Super disappointing, I just don't understand how a group of guys as talented on this both signed off on this and want this. The drums are simply unforgiveable. Bad bad bad bad bad.

Album Rating: 2.5

sometimes less is less

Album Rating: 3.5

This live set where they play the entire album (with actual drums!) is far superior to the studio record. They also skip the Taylor Swift song. The songwriting is definitely a stepdown, but I think it's still a lot more solid than what most are coming away with - it's just marred by really tame, watered down, far-too-glossy production. This fixes all of that.



https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ps8q78npm0rye6j/AADvRc7-u2Z64DdVJuJgs-cYa/NBS_012%20-%202023.03.04%2C%20Woodstock?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR2UsJ_miY_tL9zkA0lAXq96YAQAumv17OwAkWGIioiX-qXrFHGmG9MhVtQ&subfolder_nav_tracking=1

Album Rating: 1.0

‘It's like they made an entire album that you can jam without waking up someone in the same room as you.’

yeah, like the world’s worst ambient album, or maybe the audio equivalent of mindful silence. They’re just being considerate bless ‘em… wouldn’t want to rouse stimulation in any way at all