Album Rating: 2.5

Yeah, even my 3 feels pretty rooted in nostalgia (as Rowan alluded to in this fantastic write up). I really think the best move for these guys is to get rid of all the guest features. If I remove all four of them (including the Sufjan track, sorry Sput), then this makes for a passable 7 track experience. Even then, I'd cut New Order T Shirt and Send For Me. So, my optimal takeaway is a 5 track EP:



Tropic Morning News

Grease In Your Hair

Alien

Ice Machines

Eucalyptus

I listened to the single and I'm sort of dreading hearing the whole thing

Album Rating: 2.5

"Kind of a cringe tactic to lure in an audience and makes it look like they feel the album can’t stand on its own merit. Plenty of unknowns out there that can sing better than all of those folks combined. They’re just names to put on the titles."



the taylor one is definitely earned but yeah i would've never known sufjan and phoebe were on those songs if not for the titles. i can't even really tell which vocals are supposed to be sufjan in that song.

Album Rating: 2.5

Me neither. Whatever role he plays in that song is so subtle that he might as well not be included IMO.

oh hell nah they turned sufjan into a synth pad

'It's no secret that I tend to conflate personal experience and objective criticism in my writing.'

who are you again?

Yeah, I like this more than their last record. I’m also not that big on features (and how they tackled it on IAETF), so the subtle use of Sufjan and Phoebe in the background has my preference. Maybe it’s the honeymoon phase, who knows, but for now I’m somewhat happy it turned out like this. On the other hand I hope to god that they dial it back with the electronics on the next record.

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

'Eucalyptus' is both the most memorable song and the most frustrating song here all at once



after listening to it about fifteen plus times now I have to place it in the bottom three or four here



the chorus is atrocious and the repetition in the verses is a little irksome too...but it's sort of catchy and has some degree of energy



album is listenable trash

Album Rating: 2.5

Tracks rated (4th spin):

1. Once Upon a Poolside [2.5/5]: Just a tone-setter really, not bad but instrumentally it’s very simplistic. Fine lyrics and vocal melody, Sufjan’s “feature” is fine but doesn’t add anything really. Almost good, this one might grow on me.

2. Eucalyptus [3.5/5]: There’s a pretty solid mood and build in this one, I like the lyrical concept and the chorus and bridge have a nice desperation. The guitar bridge is decent too, and the drums are solid too. It doesn’t quite climax as impressively as it could but I could almost see a better version of this working nicely on High Violet or TWFM.

3. New Order T-Shirt [3.5/5]: Maybe the best lyrics on the album, the chorus especially. Nice bass as well. Solid vocal melody. Could do without the bloops that don’t really add anything. Maybe a 4/5 if I connect with it a bit more.

4. This Isn’t Helping [3/5]: We finally get some baritone here at least! Song is fine overall, don’t care much for the verse but the chorus is pretty nice actually, Phoebe’s vox complement Matt’s well here.

5. Tropic Morning News [4/5]: Best song on the album, the one where they sound most like a real band here, great drums (though I wish they were live the whole way through or at least had a less compressed sound). Great lyrics, good melody, it builds well. Nice little guitar solo even if it could be a bit bigger. But overall the song where all the elements come together most convincingly. Can see this one being even better live, seems likely to be the one track from this to stay in future setlists. It rounds out a decent first half for the album.

highlighting the lyrical concept of Eucalyptus… wow

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

Tropic Morning News is super average to me - I can name about twelve National B-Sides I prefer to it, seems that level.



It is the second or third best here though.



3/5

Album Rating: 2.0

Eucalyptus concept is tbf a workable premise for a song (or, like, a verse) but

Album Rating: 2.5

6. Alien [2.5/5]: Start of the downturn. First couple minutes are very meh. Really don’t like the chorus melody here. The drums try to save it in the last 1.5 minutes but can’t quite make it a good song overall.

7. The Alcott [2/5]: No hate for Taylor but hearing her here so prominently is really immersion breaking. The song just feels very grabby and obvious and the lyrics are quite generic. It feels more like a Taylor song than a National one. Give me “Coney Island” over this.

8. Grease In Your Hair [3/5]: It’s fine. Feels like a TWFM outtake. Drums are solid and chorus had good energy. Don’t like the autotune sounding backing vox toward the end. Not much to say about this. It doesn’t overstay its welcome like many here do. It’s fine.

9. Ice Machines [2.5/5]: Floaty indie folk song. Feels like an instrumental Aaron had left over from his stuff with Taylor. Almost good but takes a turn for the worse when the drums come in.

10. Your Mind Is Not Your Friend [2/5]: Feels like a thin rewrite of “Carin at the Liquor Store” instrumentally. Phoebe adds nothing. Gets tiring very quickly.

11. Send For Me [2/5]: Super tepid instrumental. Feels like a thin rewrite of IAETF’s title track. Nice enough lyrical sentiment but the chorus is underwritten and repetitive.

Album Rating: 2.5

Agree with Tropic Morning News being the best thing here and Eucalyptus being second

tropic morning news was cool but im probably never listening to this

You can take it because im not gonna take it !!

can someone explain the album cover ?? Something to do with Frankenstein ?

Album Rating: 2.5

pretty much a agree with all boney's takes except i dislike eucalyptus quite a bit



tropic morning news is def the best track here and probably the only one i'd seek out outside the context of the album

Album Rating: 2.0

Bass guitarist Scott Devendorf, a former graphic designer who works closely on the band's album covers, described the mannequin as "not a phrenological head".[11]

Album Rating: 2.5

also as someone who unrelatedly started reading frankenstein last night i don't think the album title means much of anything. the first two pages is a dude writing a letter to his sister about his upcoming voyage to the north pole. maybe someone more well versed in literature could speak to it a bit more lol but yeah nothing about it struck me as relating to this album in any way