Album Rating: 3.5

I'm reasonably content with this, as a National fan

Album Rating: 3.8

I'm digging this a fair amount - doesn't touch their best works, but this is probably as good as we can hope for in this era of the band.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Poolside

Alphabet City

Deep End

Turn off the House

Eucalyptus

Space Invader

Hornets

Tropic Morning News

Crumble

Smoke Detector



A serviceable album that probably equals Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers in terms of consistency and deep cut bangers.

Album Rating: 3.0

The listening experience of this album for me was essentially "huh not bad" or "hmmm, breddy gud" followed by "damn this is boring" every track or two. So at least the tracklist is... actually pretty well paced, in that regard

Album Rating: 4.0

Seems like a blend of TWFM and SWB. Might be best since the former.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

‘Smoke Detector’ would have been a great opener…that launching into a set of punchier songs like some of those on SWB would have been genius.



Most shocking thing this band could do next is release an album with no ballads on it

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

@Doof the most perplexing thing is that both Matt and Bryan gave interviews around the release of IAETF stating they’d like to make a heavier record next and specifically citing IDLES as an influence. I still can’t fully figure out where that sentiment went, or why they did such a 180

They were taking the piss.

This is alright a bit too flannel.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Butkuis - I think they like the idea of it but honestly I think the well of great song ideas/riffs/melodies/lyric soundbites has run dry for this band, and it’s easier to knock out slightly wishy washy ballads and low energy mid tempo’ers without those things and then just buff up the production and layering to fill the gaps where a great hook or melody should be.



If the writing was this ‘blah’ on a heavier record it’d bomb instantly, unforgiving style.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

A few track thoughts:



- Smoke Detector [5/5 tentative rating]: not 100% this is a classic but it’s certainly close and it’s great to say 7 minutes of a new National album is that good. They should be releasing albums where half the material has this feel imo



- Weird Goodbyes [4/5 rating]: it seems this is the one that went too sappy and commercial for the fanbase…but if you’re going sappy and commercial then fully commit and have a load of melodies. It might sound a bit more like a Big Red Machine song with a Berninger feature, but I like it here. Vernon seems to push Matt to put a bit more in maybe.



- Alphabet City [3.5 or 4 rating?]: prefer this in the context of the album and an ok choice of opener. I feel the verses are trying to revive a ‘Sorrow’ style performance from Matt but it’s more a case they come close rather than knock it out the park.



- Space Invader [3.5 or 4 rating?]: again, prefer it here as an opener for ‘Side B’, the coda is better than the song itself…I think the song is very standard National, a bit TWFM though so nice enough.



- Deep End [3.5 or 4 rating?]: it’s fine but put it up against ‘Swallow the Cap’ or ‘Graceless’ etc and it’s going to shrivel.



- ‘Laugh Track’ [3 or 3.5?]: the feature is the best thing here, the vocals work as a solid counterpoint but a bit of a non song all the same.



- ‘Crumble’ [4 rating]: the features are actually good on this album and this also works, not an outstanding song but definitely a late tracklist highlight in a more country mode. My dad always said about The National ‘they’re too country and I’m not sure about the singer’…maybe he could see into the future?



Most of the rest of the album is pretty much forgettable for me at this stage…

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Fair take, but it also seems like their most interesting ideas off the last few albums have come out of their most driving tracks (Where is Her Head, Rylan, Tropic Morning News, Smoke Detector). Granted, this is probably just due to the contrast a solid rhythm provides compared to the rest of the tracklists, and maybe it wouldn’t pan out over an entire album, but it does make me wonder.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

yeah, I'm not saying they can't write any songs like that any more....I just feel a whole album would push them too much, would probably take five years to arrive ;)



whereas tracks like 'coat hanger' and 'tour manager' they can just churn out no fuss, album done

Album Rating: 4.0

Yup Doof you’ve pretty much nailed which ones are the “great” songs here, I’d just add “Hornets” I think.



I think I’m going to need to give IAETF a full revisit now, FTPOF didn’t warrant that because it was so obviously inferior but I’m not quite sure how this one compares.

Album Rating: 2.8

yeah, swap Hornets and maaaaaybe Turn Off the House for Weird Goodbyes or Deep End, and that's about the shape of it

Album Rating: 3.0

Will listen to this again because I want to like The National again but they've been making it kinda hard these past few years...could always listen to boxer or alligator again yeah but it's nice to get into the new stuff except these songs sounded so tiiiired but not tired in a good way like some of their best songs, just tired. Maybe I'm tired. The closer sounded interesting at least.

Damn we get another mid national album this year. Lucky us!

We got Alligator through SWB. That was a pretty damn great run.

Album Rating: 3.5

Solid record, but too long for its own good. 45 minutes would have been enough.

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm starting to come around to this.