Album Rating: 2.0

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



for me it ends with TWFM. SWB had a few decent cuts but was pretty damn boring on the whole and signalled the beginning of the end for them imo

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm the weird one for liking SWB more than TWFM. :-)



New one has two excellent songs, mostly solid but unspectacular ones, and a few very forgettable ones --- but it's growing on me as a whole after one day which has me excited.



Space Invader and Smoke Detector are my favorites at the moment. Could see a blend of this things best 7 songs and my favorite 3 tracks from Frankenstein making a strong 4/5 album.

Album Rating: 4.0

Could see a blend of this things best 7 songs and my favorite 3 tracks from Frankenstein making a strong 4/5 album.

Album Rating: 4.0

That's a fair approach. I got into The National late by some fans' standards (crammed their discog in the month leading up to HV), so maybe I'm just hungry for that classic album feeling again, but I'm probably barking up the wrong tree. I'll take this album, it's good enough and way better than Frankenstein. Will have to re-listen to IAETF to see which is better.

Album Rating: 4.0

I wouldn’t say that but it is on par with the top 4-5 or so here.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Yeah, TMN is the only essential song on the last one for me (the intro is great but it's such an intro track)



An acceptable 49 minute nu-National album (minus anything from SWB)



1. Smoke Detector

2. Where Is Her Head

3. Alphabet City

4. Quiet Light

5. Weird Goodbyes



6. Tropic Morning News

7. Space Invader

8. Rylan

9. Crumble

10. Light Years



That selection would get a 4 from me.

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah that's about it Doof, I'd slot "Not In Kansas" in there too which I think would slot comfortably alongside some of the more "experimental" stuff here. And I'd probably 5 that selection tbh.

i enjoyed that review, it's pretty funny. will give the album/smoke detector a try.

Album Rating: 3.0

man think if smoke detector was an opener. would rival all the other stellar openers

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

To put in an evil bit of context a pre nu-National B-Sides album could look like:



1. Driver, Surprise Me

2. Blank Slate

3. Santa Clara

4. Exile Vilify

5. Lean



6. Wake Up Your Saints

7. You Were a Kindness

8. You've Done it Again Virginia

9. So Far Around the Bend

10. Think You Can Wait



That'd get a 4.5-5 for me...

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

'Yeah that's about it Doof, I'd slot "Not In Kansas" in there too which I think would slot comfortably alongside some of the more "experimental" stuff here. And I'd probably 5 that selection tbh.'



I agree, if you want a longer album that's the one to add on top of those, bit misunderstood that one.

Album Rating: 3.8

Not In Kansas is probably a top 10 The National song for me at this point, it's grown on me a ton over the years. The only tune on that album which would be anywhere near the top 25 in their discog, though.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Ok I'll slap Kansas in the middle of that playlist and see how it goes - less of a tight listen but the song probably deserves the recognition ;)

Album Rating: 4.0

I think the biggest issue with nu-National in general is that the band seems to be on autopilot so much of the time. They had their 'tropes' before SWB but it's hard to say any song before that lacked some level of inspiration or didn't feel unique in some way. SWB is fully part of the hot streak imo but you could start to feel some ideas becoming a bit repetitive/predictable at that point in a way they hadn't before, and since then that has become more the norm than the exception.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

'for me it ends with TWFM. SWB had a few decent cuts but was pretty damn boring on the whole and signalled the beginning of the end for them imo'



yeah Gyro, I can sort of entertain it signalled a near total stylistic change and one generally for the negative...but I just think there's about eight very decent National songs on there, a couple of which are classics or close to

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

'They had their 'tropes' before SWB but it's hard to say any song before that lacked some level of inspiration or didn't feel unique in some way.'



You return to overlooked songs on TWFM and say a tune like 'Slipped' is close to being better than every ballad they've released since (must number at least twelve) - in fact I'd go as far as saying it probably betters all of them.



A subtle track like 'Hard to Find' again has the beating of 90% of the 'autopilot subtle tunes' since too



That album had its critics but now it should scan like hit after hit after hit for those folk if they've persevered through the next three records.



I mean 'I Need My Girl' is still the closest they've got to a song with true mainstream pop appeal too I'd think

Album Rating: 4.0

Over time I've come around to TWFM as probably Matt's lyrical peak especially, so many great lines on that one.

Album Rating: 2.0

If you took the best cuts of their last 3 albums, then you might (emphasis on ‘might’) be able to squeeze out a ‘decent-ish’ listen, but their quality control is abysmal these days. Still, if the frankly embarrassing Frankenstein didn’t exist, this would’ve felt like a fitting follow-up to I Am Difficult To Love.



Either way, this band has been on auto-pilot at best for three straight albums. They’re done.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

'Over time I've come around to TWFM as probably Matt's lyrical peak especially, so many great lines on that one.'



Matt had some great moments on SWB but I'd agree TWFM seemed the culmination for him - there's an argument he's the best thing on that album, almost 'his album'.



The last three he's seemed like the weak spot - it goes a long way to explaining their material connecting less with people.

Album Rating: 4.0

Still, if the frankly embarrassing Frankenstein didn’t exist, this would’ve felt like a fitting follow-up to I Am Difficult To Love.