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User
Reviews 416
Approval 72%
Soundoffs 77
News Articles 104
Band Edits + Tags 1,444
Album Edits 765
Album Ratings 5025
Objectivity 75%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 64,287
| The National ranked by depression value
Haven't heard the s/t and don't particularly care to, so that's left out | | 1 |  | The National
Trouble Will Find Me
For me, this is easily their bleakest and most soul-destroying release. Demons is virtually an anthem for having given up on life and even the more upbeat tracks (esp. Graceless) are q dispiriting | | 2 |  | The National
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
Accurate af title; while not quite as evocative as TWFM, this is every bit as morose. That opener is a slow burning trauma | | 3 |  | The National
Boxer
Was torn between this and High Violet; both are somewhat varied and have some Actual Uplifting Moments. However, I pick up more gloom from this one overall; Racing Like A Pro, Brainy Gospel brood and mope, and Squalor Victoria is outright desperate | | 4 |  | The National
High Violet
The lows here are considerably lower than Boxer's (England, Little Faith, Conversation 16, fucking SORROW??), but the highs perk it up so much that I dropped it a place. Terrible Love, Runaway and Bloodbuzz Ohio are too uplifting for this list by a long shot | | 5 |  | The National
Alligator
A fair mix of feels here, somewhat tricky to weigh up. The overall vibe is still slightly morose, but there are enough upbeat numbers to keep it buoyant and even my favourite down-time picks (Daughters, Karen, Geese) are nowhere near as bleak as those at the top of the list. | | 6 |  | The National
Sleep Well Beast
There's something sage and reassuring about this album that the other albums don't quite have. Even the darkest tracks (Guilty Party in particular) are stoic in a way that's more calming than depressing, at least for me. The opening trio is particularly uplifting too | |
JohnnyoftheWell
05.07.18 | The only criteria that matters for this band tbh | CaimanJesus
05.07.18 | Needs the bloke in the pool | Papa Universe
05.07.18 | toned-down, low-voiced middle-aged steppenwolves =/= depressing | Papa Universe
05.07.18 | good music tho | Sowing
05.07.18 | This is oddly accurate | JohnnyoftheWell
05.07.18 | "toned-down, low-voiced middle-aged steppenwolves =/= depressing"
I'd call the first two albums here depressing for sure, what music would you pick for that kind of vibe?
"This is oddly accurate"
Haha, any quibbles dude? | Papa Universe
05.07.18 | "what music would you pick for that kind of vibe?"
I always found what the National did to be more lazy way of being 'depressive'. What I feel like is more striking is bitter sweetness. Music that is not trying to be explicitly sad, but just lays out every harsh truth and reality of things it tries to convey that the emotions flow out of you naturally. Billie Holiday's "Gloomy Sunday" has been described as one of the most depressing and suicide-inducing songs of all time, but it is not a downer track, it shows hopeful and mildly uplifting themes, but it simply is atmospherically bleak to a crushing extent. I do believe that some of The National's work could be describe thusly, but I also think that a vast majority of Trouble Will Find Me is a downer music for the sake of being downer. | Snake.
05.07.18 | nah high violet is easily their bleakest
idk what it is about trouble but their dark songs either sound like realizing his faults and putting the pieces of his broken self back together or they're just way too damn upbeat | JohnnyoftheWell
05.07.18 | @Papa I think that's a very fair assessment and disagree insofar as I personally find what you describe as "lazy" highly affective, but can see why you'd view the band the way you do given your criteria for depressive music | Papa Universe
05.07.18 | I find something like Rodriguez's "Cause" depressing, for example. It is a straightforward folk song, but the intensity of the vocals and voice-mixing and the heavy lyrical themes are just all so crushing. | Clumseee
05.07.18 | Yeah High Violet's way too low here.
I also think Alligator is deceptively sad. It's like—sad in the moment sad. He's sad about shit that white, straight, privileged men shouldn't be sad about it, before 10+ years before mental illness was at the forefront of social discussions. I think it's a lot of masculine insecurity, as well insecurity about his life, success, relationships. It's the most upbeat sonically, sure, but man, when you dig into the lyrics, you're like DAMN. | JohnnyoftheWell
05.07.18 | In fairness, SWB is the only album here that I don't consider to be overall dispiriting; Alligator definitely has a lot in that department, but it doesn't hit me the same way |
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