The National
Trouble Will Find Me

Release Date: 2013 | Tracklist

You could make the argument that after the release of High Violet, The National needed a bit of a soft reset. Anyone who had been paying attention understood that Matt Berninger and company were the true sad bastards of indie rock, but this particular album felt like a dirge obscured in nothing but sorrowful murkiness and gloom. Because of this, Trouble Will Find Me sounds like a momentary reprieve from the darkness, at least from a production standpoint. The sound is crisper and more refined, ever-so-slightly brighter (think “Humiliation”) and the mood of the band sounds a smidge less dour (think “Heavenfaced”). At least at certain points. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that the band has replaced its overall dreary disposition for a sunnier outlook on life, especially not if Berninger has any input on the matter. The man can still pen an absolute downer of a line like “When I walk into a room, I do not light it up” on “Demons” or “I don’t need any help to be lonely when you leave me,” on “Slipped.”

What I find with Trouble Will Find Me, more so than almost every other album within The National’s discography, is that you really have to pay attention to the deep cuts that are tucked away within the corners of this project. Yes, songs like “I Need My Girl,” “Graceless,” and “Don’t Swallow the Cap” are all great songs in their own right and are more than deserving of the acclaim they receive. But it’s songs like “Pink Rabbits,” “Slipped” and “Hard to Find” that really make this album shine. “Pink Rabbits,” much like “England” off of High Violet, is hiding towards the back end of the album, but it arguably packs the largest punch with its galloping piano line, one of Bryan Devendorf’s most singular performances on the drum kit and its sentimentality. “Hard to Find” is one of the most sublime songs of the band’s career, one that is heartbreakingly soothing in a strange way and highlights one of the hallmarks of what makes The National so special for me. You may listen to them and think “what is so special about this band?” due to the unassuming nature of their sound most of the time. But there will come a time where you’re listening to a song like “Hard to Find” and suddenly you find yourself overcome with the deepest, soul-stirring emotion that may reduce you to tears, much like it’s doing to me as I write this. The National are a primary example of a slow burn band. It may take you multiple listens to catch on to their spell, but when they finally get you, they won’t let you go.

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4 excellent

Rank: #40 for 2013