High Violet

Cookie cutter indie with absolutely no distinguishing features. Just choke the air with reverb laden guitars and chiming pianos. Make every song sound like an uphill slog with a cheap emotional payoff as your reward. Fuck this, I actively hate this kind of lazy, faux-sincere hogwash

I kept listening to this album hoping it would eventually grab me. It's not bad, it just doesn't pull me in. I think the issue is, like other bands of this genre, every song is basically built around one riff that repeats over and over - maybe growing or fading, but still the same riff. The riffs are good and at least each song is somewhat unique, but individual songs don't seem to "go anywhere." It didn't help that they started with a lo-fi sound on Terrible Love and I'm not a fan of that style of recording. I liked the second track (Sorrow) much better. I like the singer's voice - reminds me of Mark Sandman from Morphine (particularly on Little Faith). Other songs I liked: Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, and England. I'll give it a 3 because I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but don't think I'll seek it out. EDIT: I said I wouldn't listen again, but after submitting it, I found myself revisiting the album and really enjoying it. Changed the score from a 3 to a 4!

It’s just so dreary. The whole album is tonally and sonically monotonous. I don’t get all the hype about this band. Bland. Blah.

Drab, sad and most offensively of all - deathly dull.

Not unlistenable but very boring.

Just because Starbucks corporate, the Apple store, and the umbrella company that owns the GAP, choose to blare this album over their storefront speakers -- in an attempt to woo an indie demographic and mask their true capitalism-driven wallet-felching nature -- doesn't mean I (or anyone else) has to hear this garbage before death. It is neither novel nor exemplary.

"Boxer" was their big breakthrough, the album that led to a huge profile of The National in The New York Times containing fly-on-the-wall moments during the making of this album (an instant classic, by the way). My lone critique is that the Alternate Version of "Terrible Love" is miles better than the original that opens the album. And the band knew it, so much so that they released an expanded version of High Violet almost immediately to include the alternate version as a way of correcting the mistake. It's a minor nitpick, and that alternate version has thankfully become the standard. This is the album that firmly put The National on my Top Five list of all-time favorite bands. It's why Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran sought out the talents of Aaron Dessner to make new albums years after they became established pop stars. Anyone unfamiliar with The National should spend some time watching live performances of this album's closing track, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks. It's how they usually end their concerts. Matt Berninger will walk back on stage for the encore performance, often with a glass of wine, and turn the microphone to the audience, compelling them to sing the entire song while he stands back basking in the joy of hearing the crowd throw the words back to him. It became such a staple at National shows that a mic was no longer needed. The crowd knew exactly what their role was to close out the show. We should all be so lucky to know the happiness Berninger feels during this moment of a National concert.

Amazing album from an amazing band. I could probably listen to Matt Berninger sing the phone book and be happy.

There was a lot of hype about this. It's kind of okay, but it doesn't exactly get you so excited that you have to publicly shit in a bin, does it?

Shit

One thing I find so frustrating about this band is that they will let a song build and build and build... before just leaving it stuck in 2nd gear on a repeated refrain? There's no payoff to any of the tension built in unique arrangements and instrumentals, just kind of a dull fizzle as if the band ran out of steam halfway through writing the song.

The National is good, and this album is them at their peak imo. I really have to be in a mood to listen to them though, and someone listening to them off the cuff may not be the best introduction to them.

I used to listen to this album and Boxer back to back on road trips to and from college in the Midwest. I also have a distinct memory of listening to this album on an 18 hour train ride from Italy to Germany after missing a flight and needing to rush back to meet my girlfriend, who was flying in to visit me at the end of a study abroad program. I don’t know how it would be listening to this for the first time, probably comes off as nicely orchestrated existential whining from a baritone voiced white dude, but that was really a vibe for me during my mid-twenties. I usually reserve 5 star ratings for albums that really blow me away, or are personal favorites that I can listen to over and over (clearly this album falls into the later category).

A friend recommended this to me back in 2010 or 2011. I had no idea who they were but was completely blown away by this album. Nothing before or since by the National resonated the same but I listened to this one endlessly for months. I still sometimes put it on when I just need an album I can let repeat. Dark and brooding maybe, but I don't mind that. In fact I think I'm starting to see I'm quite drawn to that because the lyrics are raw and honest and really make you think. The music plays right into it - key piano and strings to punctuate the message, with some distortion (guitars or engineered?) here and there to offset it and give it a foggy feel. Highlights - Terrible Love (sets the tone for the rest), Little Faith (lyrics match a little Catholic revolt inside me?), Afraid of Everyone (love the beat and the lyrics are profound), Bloodbuzz Ohio (the vocals just carry and fit so well with the music), England (love the piano and the orchestral-like backing, as well as the crescendo in the last 100s), Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (lyrics and music so sad but so beautiful).

There were some great moments musically, but I found myself having trouble getting through it. A large part of it is the guy’s voice... at times it sounds like he’s so stoned he’s struggling to even stand in front of the mic, let alone sing. Also, I would describe his singing style as “apathetic” Favorite track(s): “Little Faith” and “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”

Do you like greeting card poetry filtered through a bad head cold? If so, golly I have found the record for you! This deals with dramatic build-ups and refrains, but is short on chorus or climax. Exquisite craft, dull material.

As summer turns to autumn, this record should really enrapture that slightly melancholic changing of seasons, but it doesn't. They're a raging herd of dull cunts.

When one is muddling through lists of scratched down to-dos and tasks, shopping, returning, hunting, forgetting, as the cold wind bites through the light sweatshirt you protect your fragile torso with, since the heat in your car makes it too hot to keep on your coat, and yet, how cold the parking lot is. The National knows this sorrow, they know the pain of an accumulating hill of failure and restart.

Indy folk sound. Cool. Low voice singer. Great album all the way through.

An album that I have loved since I first heard it. The kind of music that either has a personal connection with people or doesn't. Not groundbreaking or earth-shattering, but has an ability to mainline emotion (even if through artifice), which is impressive. Also, will possibly be one of the last complete "albums" in the age of the album.

Absolute classic. One of those albums i know every lyric to and can listen straight through at any moment.

This is a band I had never even heard of before! Interesting sounds, was great for background music while I was working.

I honestly think that you need to be going bald to like this band.

Basically the same song over and over again. Lead vocalist has no range.

A monumental record for moody dads everywhere. 'Terrible Love', 'Sorrow', 'Blodbuzz Ohio' and 'Runaway’ - what more can you ask for?

It’s not terrible. But there’s something about this album that’s not good. Feels like it was composed by AI, or written for midwestern focus groups.

This is yet another album that someone who was 22 at some point between 2007 and 2012 would probably tell me changed their life after trying to hand me an IPA.

Too gay but not gay enough.

I don't understand why everyone loves this band so much. In many ways they're Coldplay by way of Brooklyn. I mean it’s kind of the same throughout, not that they sound alike.

I forgot everything about this as soon as I finished listening

Predictable chord progressions, tuneless singing, whiny sad boi faux-oblique lyrics that aim for profundity, songs that aimlessly build to woeful guitar dirges…gutted that was my first album on here :( Props for some decent drumming throughout

Well it's not butt rock, more like... cum rock? Maybe they should have focused more on making good music than making artsy music. This is music for hipsters who don't like or listen to music. They also could have made a few different songs instead of the same song 11 times. This has propably been the toughest listen so far, both the music and the lyrics are super pretentious and absolutely garbage at the same time. Ohio skibidi bee rizz

with respect to my brothers in demography (white people in their mid 30s), I have tried to see what you see, what you saw, perhaps I just missed the moment back in the day, but this sucks ass

Call me a brooding basic bitch millennial but I loved this. It was like warm chocolate velvet with some counter-swirls of despair rubbed against the grain. The only miss was when they veered into Smiths territory with “Conversation 16.”

Easy 5

Love this band

Love it

This has been one of my favorite albums since it was released. It was an album of perfect timing in my life. I recall long night drives having this album on repeat. 14 years later and it's been reduced to snippets on a few playlists. I haven't really listened to the whole album in a few years at least. This was a great opportunity to re-listen and re-access. Yeah, it still feels good.

The best album ever.

It was really lovely. It gave me vibes of the likes of Far Caspian, The Narrative and other indie artists like them. It's music you wouldn't be surprised to hear in Life is Strange (which is an insult for some but more of a compliment for me)

As good as it gets. Great production, great music and fantastic lyrics.

Un dels nous clàssics. A l'alçada dels millors discos històrics del rock alternatiu. Una banda en un estat de forma sobrenatural. 'Boxer' ja havia deixat emprempta però no ens havia preparat per aquesta bogeria de creativitat i savoir faire. Tampoc després han pogut igualar-lo. Així que només ens queda disfrutar-lo i ser feliços per haver estat coetanis de tal obra mestra

"High Violet" is absolutely, far and away, one of the best albums I've ever heard. I got into The National after "Boxer" came out and HV was the first new release I got to experience. A truly incredible work, 10/10.

Not sure what my favorite National album is, but this one sure is great!

Mope-y, dirge-y and wonderful.

Very good

Quintessential 2010s sound, with very interesting composition and instrument layering. Ladytron meets Arcade Fire! I listened to the live version and Squalor Victoria was splendid.

Really nice indie rock album I'd give it a 9/10

oomf- bloodbuzz ftw

One of the best bands of the last decade.

There's a theory that albums are like sweets: the easier they are to like, the quicker that you get sick of them. And this is where 1001 scoring needs special care, because you might only give albums you've not heard before a decent rating if they have immediate impact. But that might well mean it doesn't stay on rotation for long. And wtaf does this have to do with today's album you might ask. Well, I submit that The National's music reveals itself over multiple listens. Each occasion uncovers further nuance until you finally appreciate each song for the fragile thing of wonder that it is. And if you've stayed with the argument this far you've earned the right to know that this is why I'm going to give this album a high rating despite not having heard it before and not being quite sure what to make of it on first listen. But also because I've heard enough promise to trust that this will be a grower. 4*

This is a tough one. I've known about The National and would even say I really enjoy "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and "Exile Vilify". I'm also a card-carrying member of the sad white boy club, which this definitely aims for. It's moody. I feel it captures that "tears in your beer" feeling that classic country does, but maybe a little bit darker, like being around close to house-lights-on at a corner bar on a Tuesday. I was skeptical at the beginning, but it eventually won me over. When it misses, it feels saccharine and dull, but when it hits, man it hits. Favorite tracks: "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Lemonworld", "England", "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks"

My favourite of theirs is Alligator but this has lots of their best songs on. The production especially stands out to me as being the best fit for his voice and lyrics they've had

New to me, nothing special but listenable. Didn't miss anything and no wiser of the listen,

Didn't hate it, but couldn't find much to like either.

Have heard of the national Have heard high violet I really like this Album, it's got some great songs. moody, atmospheric. but I don't think itvis strong or influential enough to belong in the list.

Ah, so this is where the 2010s indie vibes came from. It's cool to hear that, but the post-punk vibes here just have so little soul to them.

Big disappointment. Saw them a bunch touring "Boxer" which is a fantastic album; this one plows the same furrow with diminishing returns. They still have their moments ("The System Only Sleeps In Total Darkness", later) but lost a bit of their initial knack for melody and drama from this album onward.

Okay I got bored whilst listening to the album so I thought of a movie that would feature this album as a soundtrack There’s a 16 year-old boy who’s parents are on the brink of divorce and he’s getting bullied by this popular girl at school He goes the the beach bc he’s emo and he sees some people trying to kill this endangered species of dolphin and he’s really annoyed So the next day he goes and destroys all of the hunters’ equipment and makes friends with the dolphin The dolphin stops him from being emo so he tells his mum and dad about it and fixes their marriage Then he is watching the dolphin one day and he sees his bully also watching it Well, it turns out her mum and dad aren’t getting on well either and so they sit and talk about their trauma and become friends Anyway pretty average album 3/5

Never understood what made The National so successful when there are quite a few other acts sounding very close to them while having tons of personality to provide listeners with something truly unique, idiosyncratic, original, what have you--acts such as Other Lives, Tindersticks, Interpol, The Walkmen or Grizzly Bear (most of them less commercially succesful)... The thing is, where are those tons of personality when it comes to the National? Is having no clear-cut personality an actual asset to attract the biggest streaming numbers in this day and age? My personal feeling is that a lot of fans of The National are just ignorant of those other bands' albums, and are just happy a well-oiled promotional machine led them to become admirers of Aaron Dessner's outfit first. Of course, there's no way I can confirm or prove this feeling, and I already understand why those admirers could accuse me of bad faith here. Yet nothing is gonna shake that initial impression of mine that The National represent a very safe and conformist vision of what quote-unquote "indie bands" should sound like starting from the tail end of the noughts. It's like that review in this section where the reviewer complains that opener *Terrible Love* is the lo-fi version of the song, instead of its clean alternative rendition found in the deluxe edition of the album. What more can be said? Clearly, some listeners of The National want to "play it safe", quite literally in this particular case. And this is not how I envision art in general, and music in particular. Don't get me wrong, *High Violet* doesn't deserve a 1/5 grade (or even a 6/10 grade according to how I translate my grading when it comes to more general purposes). The lyrics (and the stories said lyrics evoke) are interesting enough, the arrangements are tasteful, the pristine production values are well used, the chord sequences are effective (in spite of the fact that not many risks are taken), and Dessner's deep voice is more than decent overall (in spite of its frequent drowsy inflexions). It's not bad at all, by all means. You even have a majority of clear stand-out tracks in *High Violet*, such as "Anyone's Ghost", "Afraid Of Everyone", "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Lemonworld", "England" and "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks"... But even on those objectively "nice" cuts, the overall effect/affect is, well, a little *bland* at times. Tindersticks have their rough-around-the-edges aesthetics and Grizzy Bear their dreamy atmosphere, counterbalanced by a few convoluted flourishes here and there. Other Lives display cosmic or wild west-inspired moods exploring the concept of the American frontier in breathtaking sonic moves. Interpol have their postpunk influences to liven up the proceedings. And, depending of the time period they released their LPs, The Walkmen could either sound instictively brawly or charmingly retro. But in *High Violet*, The National are just The National. Full stop. Is it even possible to ascribe evocative adjectives to their music? They just play "well-written" and "well-arranged" songs, and as such, they point to the lowest common denominator. I'm not so sure that's a good thing in the long run, to be perfectly honest. At least in the grand scheme of selecting 1001 albums you must absolutely listen to before you die... 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential album. 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 143 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 369 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 218 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 274

This is pretty good but if you are anything like me and this is the first album by The National that was released after you stopped keeping up with new bands, today’s selection also acts as a friendly reminder to schedule a prostate exam and/or mammogram.

The National are the poster child of this genre of Indie that thrives on simple arrangements that build to a crescendo that was engineered in a laboratory to make you feel like you’re feeling something. It’s perfectly inoffensive, but in a way that is difficult to care a whole lot about. Some nice stuff, but ultimately unremarkable to me. Top tracks: Terrible Love, Afraid Of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio

Maudlin, moribund, mumbling American indie rock darlings sing depressing songs made for indie movies or teenage TV where someone is walking in the rain or looking out of a window while it's raining or sitting on a park bench in the rain... pretty much anything to do with rain. Best Tracks: Terrible Love; Sorrow; Bloodbuzz Ohio

sounds like it was recorded underwater

it just seems so fucking ordinary. Like, the album was made to appeal to suburban housewives that would consider it edgy. The song "England" is alright, but after the piano intro it just drones on for an eternity. Basic bitch-ass album.

Oh god, it's the sound of 2010 - corporate indie hipsterism encapsulated in an album! If you like this sort of thing, then this album is well executed with a production value that blends hifi depth and clarity with some great lofi distortion - but it's fucking boring. The songs never go anywhere. Ever.

A critical darling and evidence that music reviewers are easy to impress if you appeal to their sense of self-importance. One review said "the sound of a band taking a mandate to be a meaningful rock band seriously" as in they haven't screwed up their aspirational *seriousness* by sounding like they're having any fun. Everything about this is mid. Midtempo, middle-register singing, middling temperament. Nothing exemplifying happiness or joy or anything to get the blood going, the kind of music you'd go to watch live with your hands in your pockets, maybe silently bobbing side to side to signify that you were enjoying yourself. (I'm being snotty here; I've actually seen The National live and it was fine, they were having lots of fun up on stage; but none of that enthusiasm really translated to this album.) There are a few moments where the instruments rock out a bit and if I'm honest, the drums sound pretty fun on some of these songs, but overall this is like the album version dry Oscar bait.

I hate 21st century indie so much. He doesn’t seem to care about what he’s singing about, why should I? I blame Morrissey, that turd.

Maybe you need to be in a certain mood to enjoy this. I just found out very depressing and not especially interesting.

I always thought of myself of a fan of The National, but revisiting this album I was surprised to find myself incredibly bored. It did prompt me to listen to Trouble Will Find Me and still really enjoyed that one. Idk! Maybe their stuff is too similar and I feel like TWFM does it best.

I just think the national is the most boring and inoffensive band around ... just middle of the road - it's not even bad! it just does nothing for me

Millennial dad rock with all the excitement of a Prius. The National's sound is sweepingly cinematic with big orchestration and spacious reverby/tremelo u2-style guitar swells. Slower and more stately than their 00s indie counterparts like interpol, the walkmen or broken social scene - they elements in common with those bands but its just never connected for me. It's mature and sophisticated and polished and ultimately pretty plodding dull stuff that's successfully repressed the libidinal teenage agita that animates better rock. They're good at conjuring a mournful contemplative mood, but there's not enough dissonance to make the peaks satisfy or cathartic - it just ebbs and flows, no tension no release.

It's been a while since I've made an actual comment, but this might be the worse album I've listened to in this entire process. If I could give this a 0, I would. I was crawling out of my skin listening to this turgid, boring, endless album. Every song sounds almost the same. The singer somehow seems less interested in singing than I was listening. I knew I didn't like the National before listening, but actually going through one of their "best" albums seals the deal.

Good Lord, I knew this was going to be boring after listening to it for a minute. I wasn't wrong. I was struggling for it to end. I listened to it while working, and was relieved when someone called me, except, when the call was over, I still had 23 minutes to listen to. I thought that I was done. So. Many. Times. And I wasn't. But I am now, and, I am relieved. Never again will I listen to this.

I would call it middle of the road, but the middle of the road has lines on it and those are slightly interesting. It is the featureless part of the road between the curb and the middle. And it’s the road into Surbiton. To call this plodding would suggest some sort of momentum. It comes and goes leaving quite literally no impression whatsoever for even one second. Flavourless, tuneless and soulless. A tedious, droning, chore of a record that is military-level punishing to get through and makes Coldplay sound like Crazy Frog. 1001 Albums To Die Before You Hear.

I saw these guys headline a night of the Pitchfork Music Fest in 2009, which would have been right before this album. It’s probably the most boring show I have ever seen. When they came out and started playing their overly introspective, navel gazing brand of depression rock, they sucked the fun right out of the crowd in a way that would make the Hoover Company proud. It’s good to see that wasn’t an isolated incident and their records are boring as fuck, too. Someone should tell these guys they don’t have to use the same tempo for every song.

This is garbage. Low energy forgetful boredom. I think this is the first album out of the 50 or so 1001 albums that I will not listen to ever again. There's nothing here that makes me think, "Maybe I'm missing something".

Shut Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nerd

If I was hanging out with someone, and they said to me "hey listen to this album, its essential that you listen to this before you die", and then they put this album on, I would think a few things. One, I would be concerned that they might mean to do me harm. Two, I would question their musical taste and I would probably hang out with them less in the future. 1/5

This album will sink you into a deep depression faster than reading The Daily Mail in a morgue

i em kwiting muzik

One of my favorite albums of all time already.

I’m at a 5. Maybe just a little higher. Every now & then, a mirror can feel cathartic. The ability to look at a version of you that’s survived the worst & come out stronger is such a mental relief. I think this album is comprised of 11 tracks that are trying to be those cathartic mirrors – slightly exaggerated expressions of pressure, anxiety, stress & loneliness, meant to make certain listeners feel seen. If nothing else, I feel a little more seen, & in that sense, I think this album really worked for me. Instrumentally, I love the way it’s mixed; the very small wall of sound that gives the percussion a little more punch is done well, yet the vocals always being in the forefront of both that wall of sound & the percussion gives the album a little more intimacy that enhances the songwriting here. Like I said, it’s a little exaggerated (“Conversation 16” being the most ‘exaggerated’ example in terms of overthinking & its effect on a relationship), but taking these situations to logical semi-extremes enhances that mirroring effect a bit more. These are written in ways that can be easily visualized, for the most part, and even when the visualizations aren’t there, the instrumental tone of each track fills in those gaps. One might argue that these tracks settle into themselves at a certain point, & while that is generally true, I think the lack of a bigger release helps a lot of these tracks digest better. “Runaway” is an example of this; being forced to sit in the atmosphere of an impending struggle in that relationship without actively experiencing it makes the tension feel that much more palpable & lived in. It’s easy to think about what might come next, and thus, how to try to avoid the same scenario in your own life, or worse, relive what comes next. I never said a cathartic mirror was easy to look at. Matt Berninger’s vocals are fascinating to me; there’s not much of a natural lift to his voice & with a slight filtering / harmonization behind it, it gives it a neutral feel that definitely seems hit or miss to people. For my tastes, I think it really worked. There’s not a natural lift in terms of pitch, but there is a lift in terms of his cadence / emphasis. I think he knows exactly when to hit that lift & give some of the lines that are meant to hit harder their maximum effect. Obviously, that’s true of any competent singer, but what fascinates me about Matt Berninger is his ability to do it with more of a monotone / bassy baritone voice. There were a handful of times on this album where he went as low as that one guy from “69 Love Songs”, but I can’t remember that album having the same sense of presence on any of its tracks. Matt just feels imposing yet calm, and his narrative style works hand-in-hand with a lot of these tracks. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it really worked for me. Overall, I think it’s just a great 11 tracks, and while I understand some of the complaints here (drab/dreary tones, “artificial” conflict, etc), it just feels like those people were unable to get that sense of catharsis out of this. It’s one that either clicks or it doesn’t, and while I won’t disparage anyone if it doesn’t, I think hitting it with a 1 or 2 for that reason reflects an anger that the list just isn’t catering to their own taste. The floor here should be a 3, and the ceiling could be as high as a 10 for anyone that relates to ALL of these tracks. I’m a little higher than a 5. Make of that what you will. I’m very glad this was on the list, and I might need to seek out more of The National.

One of my favorite albums by one of my favorite bands, and indisputably the single album I have listened to the most out of the 1001+, but it's one that's kind of hard to gush about. Yeah, it's pretentious indie to many points of view, no argument here, but it resonates hard with me. Maybe it was the transcendent first listening session back in 2016 while high on the porch. I do admit I'm curious why this album was chosen over Boxer, or even Trouble Will Find me. But I am even more curious on the exact justification for its removal from the 1001 Albums book editions after 2011, and I promise I wont get defensive about it. I have some fav songs from this album, like I'm always singing "Bloodbuzz Ohio" in the shower and "Little Faith" vibrates with a melodrama I can't resist, but I also understand how on the whole for most listeners, High Violet doesn't have standouts. The lyricism sometimes comes off more shallow than the evoked mood(s), and the number of NYC callouts is at least 1:1 per song. But I do enjoy the visuals, even when they're a bit non sequitur. In spite of that, this album has some of my favorite instrumentation from The National, which is where it's a standout for me. Boxer would be miles easier to fawn over. I am going to show off my bias by giving High Violet a 5, even if I know in my heart it is closer to a 4 when compared to the rest of their discography -- but hey -- that isn't here.

Two early-aughts indie albums of great importance to me back to back. I know this band is not everybody’s bag and it is pretty essential dad rock. But I really love this band and I really love this album. I like bands whose songs are (deceptively) simple - because every note counts. Especially so on an album like this.

I knew a little bit of The National (2013's Trouble Will Find Me), and always really liked their aesthetic - dude's voice is amazing too. I enjoyed that album, but this one is on another level. Fantastic production and songwriting all throughout; sombre and beautiful. I can't even list favourite tracks, the whole thing is amazing.

Music for dads, this isn't a criticism. This album explores leaving your single life and settling down with a wife and kids and does it very well. The drumming especially is fantastic but also musical and lyrical excellent. Highlights -Conversation 16, England and Terrible Live

Very nice and cozy.

High Violet is not as great as Boxer, The National’s best, but it is great nonetheless. Highlights aplenty, among them Terrible Love, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, Runaway, and England. Sorry but Vanderlyle is overrated, and this is coming from a fan of the band.

Favorite Track: Conversation 16

How this group never hit my radar is a mystery to me! Wow!! Just awesome! Hardly ever notice the drumming but did on this album. I will explore their ENTIRE library! I don't have a problem, YOU have the problem.

The National er topklasse indie melodier. Matt Berningers vokal er fascinerende og drager mig ind i hans lyriske univers af selvhad og tungsind. Men det er trommerne der katapulterer The National op i en klasse hvor kun få bands/kunstnere kan være med. Mens de andre luller rundt i indie-depression, store lydflader og smukt skøbelige melodier, har Bryan Devendorf en fest på sit trommekit. Der sker så meget, og det driver musikken frem på en måde der giver åndenød.

Amazing album

“It takes an ocean not to break.” I can’t believe that I was 13 the first time I listened to this album. I didn’t really get it at the time but enjoyed the music itself enough, but I’m old enough now to tap into the feelings it imparts. And it hurts! There’s gravity to both Berninger’s writing and his voice. Aaron Dessner’s production rises to the occasion to create an album that’s both stormy and laser-focused. Despite the middling tempos of most of these songs they make me want to take off running. I think it’s the percussion. The band is tight as a vise. It’s a heavy listen that I don’t come back to very often, but when I do it really moves me. “England” is equal parts devastating and invigorating to me.

I owe this album for two things. First, my introduction to The National. I was slow onto the band, my discovery coming with High Violet. Second, they headlined Latitude in 2011, the year I returned to music festivals. This is a beautiful collection of songs, driven by the drums and bass of the Devendorf brothers, the guitars of the Dessner brothers, and Matt Berninger's baritone. And is there a better pop song than Bloodbuzz Ohio? Five stars for an album which is arguably not even their best.

AH-mazing. I love this band so much it hurts. I listened to the expanded edition and the alternate version of Terrible Love is insanely good. I immediately went online to order a vinyl copy for myself.

Good God I love this band. I love this album. I love every song on this album so much. This album has been with me since I was a teenager and it’s beautiful and haunting and relevant and revelatory every time I listen to it. Love this shit. So happy it’s here and that I got to listen to it again.

FAVS (top 3): terrible love, sorrow, conversation 16 mençoes honrosas: anyone's ghost, little faith, bloodbuzz ohio, runaway, england, vanderlyle crybaby geeks um OOOOOOOOOOOOOOTIMO lindo muito bom de ouvir quando vc precisa ouvir nao sei oq a letra diz mas toda a composiçao é maravilhosa e ouvi em um momento muito bom tambem, eu AMEI ouvir esse album e as primeiras tracks e umas do final KKKKKKKKKK meio q o album inteiro deu pra ouvir como se a musica tivesse saindo do meu coraçao eu amei de mais gente amei mesmo! otimo projeto pra se ouvir por inteiro! nota final: 5/5

I listened to this one a bunch when it was new. It pairs perfectly with a grey and rainy Pacific Northwest winter. One of my favorites.

One of the best albums of the 2010s. 5 stars