Reviews (page 7 of 8)
no
Yawn. This was terribly boring and repetitive and tedious.
Este grupo me gusta, no me entusiasma, pero me agrada escucharlo y siempre espero sus discos. Este ya lo había oído y solo tenía en favoritos Bloodbuzz Ohio. Me he quedado igual, tienen discos mejores que este.
I found this to be musically boring.
It was fine. I guess. It had such a nondescript sound, that I listened to three songs from different bands past the album before I realized.
I swear I've tried with this band. They're kinda droney-shoegazey, from Ohio, support progressive social causes, and even have a member named Bryce (half-star granted for that). I even shelled out for the Dressner brothers-produced Grateful Dead tribute box set. They have so much going for them, but I just can't enjoy their music. I just don't love their sound. I think it's a matter of dynamics. Everything they do is compressed to keep the highs from getting too high and the lows from the lowest. Matt Berninger's voice barely wavers from his narrow baritone. The result, while meticulously produced, smacks of indifference.
Bändi saa omat kicksinsä fiilistelystä. Lisäksi he sattuvat ajoittain keksimään nautinnollisen melodian tai pari. Tekee mieli antaa jonkinlaista tunnustusta. Matala 2.
The nostalgia is real. This takes me right back to visiting the reptile zoo - full of hope, staring at a motionless snake that clearly has no plans to move before the heat death of the universe. This album really captures that same feeling. Interesting for the first 20 seconds of each track, and then you slowly realize: it’s just the musical equivalent of a lizard basking under a heat lamp. Not bad by any means and perfect music to slowly fade into the background of whatever you are doing.
2/5 pretty good but not for Chad. Had a very small Grizol vibe
★★½
Not a fan of the singer's voice
expected more from this tbh as i've listened to the national before and really liked their sound. this was really dreary
Sort of shit that gives the genre a bad rep.
Not bad
Mellow
This album had a good opener, but then it quickly started sounding kind of like... Coldplay? I mean, it doesn't *really* sound like them, but it also kind of does. Anyway, it's just not my cup of tea, and I have to demote it for tricking me in the first minute.
I find this kind of music the hardest to rate. Is never search it out to listen to. But while it’s playing I can vibe to parts of it. They’re probably a pretty solid live band. But I’m left unmoved after listening to this. 2.5/5
Nice album but it plods along and I find Matt Berninger’s voice difficult to get excited about
Depressing didn't finish
Aside from a select few tracks, the discography of The National remains sedating for me, even despite their drummer's best efforts
Didn’t grab me like Boxer
Very boring, repetitive, depressing.
A bit bland and samey.
I am starting to think I just hate most music.
Wow. I couldn't get into this band. It wasn't for me. The band has talent, but I am not a fan of the music genre they are doing. This is the type of music my dad listens to, but not in a good way.
Not terrible (well, outside of "I was afraid I’d eat your brains, caaaause I'm evil" anyhow), but utterly forgettable.
High Violet is often praised for its moody atmosphere and emotional depth, but for me, it lands with a bit of a thud. The slow tempos, muted instrumentation, and Matt Berninger’s deadpan baritone all blend into a grey blur that never really lifts. It's the kind of album that feels like it’s building toward something... but rarely gets there. There are moments of beauty in the arrangements, and the band is clearly polished, but the overall effect is just a bit too dreary and self-serious. Nothing sticks, and by the end, it’s hard to remember what stood out—because nothing really did.
This did not grab me. I found the lyrics obscure. They did not invoke much for me. I wasn’t very fond of their rock sound. The singer‘s voice threw me off in some songs. I can imagine that some people love them and their sound. But this was not my cup of tea (with the exception of three songs.)
The first tag listed for this album is "boring" and boy is that apt.
2☆→dégâts psychologiques légers ça doit être un bon album quand t’es en fucking DÉPRESSION genre ma journée est ruinée ça ressemble quand même à ma playlist de sieste de H23 j’aime (relativement): Lemonworld, Runaway j’aime pas: le reste
Dull and boring.
Didn't do it for me. Dude's just kind of talking.
It's all a bit dull and dreary and a bit of a slog to get through.
Just another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex Even before I pressed play, I knew it'd be an ex-1001 album. I found it quite mundane. Feels like the sort of music that's made for life insurance adverts.
I should like moody dad rock but never gotten into them. Not this time either. Bloodbuzz Ohio is decent
I've no idea who these people are ngl. The lyrics are probably the best part. It's very after the party/hungover vibes for me. It's like depressed Lumineers idk why 😭😂 vocals are giving Chris Martin's alcoholic cousin. FAVES Sorrow (strings here 🥹) Anyone's Ghost Bloodbuzz Ohio Conversation 16
literally dgaf it's kinda giving me not a lot. Decent but i think im just in a shit mood
At first I thought it was fine, but the more I listen to it the less happy I get
Boo hoo, cry about it
I dunno. 2? 3? Not terrible, but very boring
Midlife angst sounds boring
this is the type of music to put on when you really don't care what is playing in the background. solid, solid "meh". drums were decent but vocals just boring, mumbling. (and why oh why do folks love this album but hate on some Coldplay???)
Possibly the most monotone album on the list. Not sure how a band so boring generates so much hype.
This is a remarkably dull album. Not dreadful, just a bit boring to my ears.
Overall mediocre album. Had an interesting indie/alt rock vibe initially, but the repetitiveness got boring fast. Nothing stood out lyrically or instrumentally. Also too many mentions of Ohio. Rating would’ve been higher if Ohio was never mentioned.
Probs deserves a 3 but ultimately blended into the background as mush as yesterday's did, so here we are...
Generic 2010s Indie Rock that doesn't further the genre or help explain why its on a list like this. 2/5
Drivel
I can't find any connection to this music. For me it sounds like background shopping music. Nothing more. It is not bad or terrible but not in any way interesting.
Boring meandering repetitive pretentious. No bueno
wait, is the singing good or bad??
Dull and dreary.
Somehow this band seemed to want to grow every song from a humble beginning to a grand, sweeping crescendo, and yet, it felt like there were no dynamics to the music whatsoever. I turned up the volume thinking maybe that was it, but there was a haze over the overall sound. It was all so flat. I found it distracting and even annoying. So I guess I didn't much like this album.
A band I have never been interested in checking it. It sounds like its parts are better than its whole. Just feels kind of boring to me. Not my favorite at all.
Wasn't bad, listened to the whole thing. Probably not going on my list to come back to.
Ah, thought I’d like this. Unrelentingly dreary I’m afraid, only just got through it.
Older me would have liked how depressing this is, but not current me, alas
Another boring indie album
Dull for the most part apart from a few glimpses here and there. High 2*
Musical half erect edging. They muse be able to tour endlessly as their singer so rarely passes a droning mumble. Good drums?
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: ⬜🎨🖍️ Production: 🧈😊👌 Music: 🌧️🖤〰️ Rating: 🖍️🖍️(🖍️)/5
Another one where I've never heard of the group. Interesting album cover. I'm always looking for new music, but this one just didn't click for me. It sounds like more downbeat Coldplay. It's not bad to listen to, but kind of blah. I can't imagine I would listen to it again.
Zzzzz… I’m sorry, but I find this very boring. I told myself I just wasn’t in the mood, and decided to relisten. I definitely appreciate it more, but why the hell is this on the list?
Meh
2.5
Quizá sorprenda a muchos, pero creo que es música de riff y punto.insufiviente para mí gusto.
A sensação de que as músicas estão sempre correndo atrás de algo que quer alcançar.
J. Crew-core Like a mopey indie drama film, High Violet uses every emotional trick in the book to make you think that its deep.
Bill Callahan but in a 2010 indies band. I thought it might grow on me over the 16 songs but sadly it did not. It’s perfectly serviceable in itself but just not quite my genre of music. The songs did start the meld together and at one point I could have sworn I had already heard the song before. Bit too long as well. This is definitely for someone just not me. 4/10
I've tried National albums in the past and their style has never been my favorite, their take on indie rock with these chamber pop esque melodies and Matt's understated and low voice make for something that sounds pretty but becomes tiresome the longer it goes on. It helped in Boxer that it had some post punk elements that appealed more to me but on this one they transitioned into a brighter and kind of lush sound which again, I can see what they try to do with this but it ends up sounding flat and boring to me. Simply the formula for the songs of this album of mid tempo pretty songs with some nice accents and bored vocals really isn't exciting or something that I can appreciate in its own terms, it just sits there without much to catch my attention or worse sound like the worst indie cliches I've heard, even Bloodbuzz Ohio while good it bears reseamblance to a lot of boring indie that probably tried to replicate this song and failed, even the energy on it doesn't work because it just feels so restrained. It's just too stiff for its own good
Felt virtually indistinguishable from any other "alternative" indie rock band of the era.
Well made album. You need a special mood to get into it. Sorry - I'm not in this required mood.
Not my sort of thing, too much noise under the music. But not objectionable. 2
The National is a band that I really feel like I should like and I really want to like. But I just don't. I can't put my finger on why. I think all of their songs sound basically the same, and the one word I'd use to describe that sound is "plodding", which is not an adjective I generally would use in a positive sense.
This is very twilight riverdale 2010 core. It is kind of boring but not annoying either.
Dreadfully dreary.
very chill and laid back album - i didn't listen too intently, but it was very relaxed for the most part, or at least there weren't any massively jarring arrangements that i feel like i heard. maybe i didn't give it a fair listen.
Chill and nice sound. Very interesting how there’s an album like this that came out during my prime music listening time, (I guess now is my new prime listening time because of this list actually) that I’ve never heard of before. Not super memorable though. None of the melodies specifically gripped me and I couldn’t give you the tune of a single song. 2 Star.
As I was listening to this I was really wishing it was a rainy fall day because it seems like it would have created a perfect vibe for the album. Because of that, I think I wanted to like this album more than I actually did. Early on I thought I’d go with a four, but then I found myself losing interest. There’s rain in the forecast tomorrow, maybe I’ll see if my theory is correct. For now, I’ll round down from a two and a half.
Meh
Just not for me. Everything sounds the same.
Hey this ain’t horrible as far as indie bullshit goes. 2.09
A little boring, but there was some cool stuff in there. not entirely my cup of tea
Boring unfortch. The national is also in contention for Worst band name of all time sorry.
Absolutely boring.
So boring. Why is this repetitive music lead by a singer who sounds like he'd rather be somewhere else, on this list???
Torn. Parts I enjoyed and parts I didn’t. May have enjoyed it more on a different day.
The 5th album of a fairly middling indie band has no place on this list. No hits. No breakthroughs. Nothing special or unique here. Sonic dishwater. The soundtrack to a forgettable Zach Braff movie.
Gevoelige muziek voor als je goed wilt janken. Denk ik wel chill in de herfst als je je niet top voelt. Verder fok ik er niet echt mee
Is it just me or do The National make really boring music?
Not bad.
forgettable
I’m not sure if there is another band that has received as many attempts by me to appreciate them as this band. There is just something about them, this album being no exception, that does nothing for me and in a way that I find very irritating. It’s hard to describe. Everything about them is completely competent, but I find the constant melodrama to be very off putting. Do I hate this? I don’t know. I’m definitely don’t like it, though.
2.5 Everyone raves about these and I can see the appeal but I was BORED
Sad and boring - 2/5 Reviewed 20/08/2024
I've always found the national to be kind of dull, pretentious and certainly quite overrated. I don't think you could really call this "bad" but it's absolutely not for me
Nothing for me.
#298. I literally don't remember what this sounded like. I listened to this less than 24 hours ago and I've already forgotten it. I know it was hipster folk, which explains the forgettableness, but I don't remember hating any particular part of it either, so I guess it gets a meh out of ten. 2/5: meh
Boxer was good. This is just the same thing, generally artists need to grow, captivate. Just boring.
Just ok. Kind of bland and depressing.
Found this to be boring. A style of modern music that I just don’t enjoy that much, too slow. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Meh
Newest album so far I've had to listen to. I don't think I'm the right audience for this because the music just ended up sounding corny to me. From their end there was no lack of energy or passion, and the music fit well to the singing. It just didn't land for me in a way that I imagine the band originally would have liked.
Low violet
2+
The tone here is lowdown and somber but it's not a hallow wallow. There is substance and it's pretty good. The songs run into the next without much change so it feels like one long epic. Berninger is pining throughout the while album. His monotone voice drones on, he becomes a brain eating zombie, and eventually spirals into complete madness talking to birds. Failed relationships really got to the guy. The band is still on tour and I can't imagine the show being anything but depressing. Do they hand out a ix of tissues and a lighter at the ticket check? Not a bad album but got to be in a mood...2.4.
I respect The National as an artist. They make some decent music and continue to remain relevant. My only issue is that you need to be in a certain mood to listen to them. Their sound is so somber and glum that often times its just not what I want to listen to. That's not to take away from High Violet which is an OK album. It just doesn't resonate with me as something I want to spend time with. For that reason I have to mark it down. 2.12 stars
Never really got my attention. Kinda underwhelming
Just.. boring. I really couldn't get into this.
Pretty chilled stuff, but became fairly boring and monotone
Kind of boring. Like if Ian Curtis was still around and decided to join an early 2010's folkish band. Something like a further toned down Lumineers.
Fine, not really my vibe. Very moany indie dudeish. Conversation 16 was the best if I had to say
Soooo boring
Ok 2/5
Meh! It's aloof in this way that feels moderately depressing. And maybe melodramatic feeling. Only a tiny notch about 1 star.
Ok
Boring
This album made my dick softer than usual....
I see the appeal just not for me.
Blind album and artist. Honestly could've lived without this and been okay.
Não vejo algum nexo na tentativa de reviver ou homenagear o pós punk.
Vocals suck tbh with you, not a bad album, just boring
This artist had so much potential with the opening track, which had a vibe of ominous building-up prelude to (presumably) an earth-shattering intro. Annoyingly, though, every track was precisely like that: build-up and no payoff. The mumbled, indistinct vocal got old fast, and the low, atmospheric instrumental present in most tracks was good in isolation but tedious when listened to for 47 minutes straight. That being said, Terrible Love was a good opener, and could’ve easily been the legendary opener to an album that made some very different decisions. The second track, Sorrow, was also good. After that, only tracks with higher energy (usually dictated by the presence of louder percussion) were enjoyable - including Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks. 2/5
This was more of a solid album than not that had a majestic, easy-going feel to it. Some of the songs were hard to get into because they are slow paced and have the same sound and feel to them. I had to get used to the singer's voice as I found myself thinking there wasn't a lot of feeling put into it...but I also recognize this is a different style of music too. The drumming was superb on several tracks. I'd probably not return to this too much in the future. Favorite tracks: Terrible Love, Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Conversation 16, England.
Kinds boring.
Not for me. Don't like the guys voice. Instrumentals are decent
Favourite Song: Terrible Love I knew Terrible Love already and had always liked it. The other songs can feel quite samey. An enjoyable album, but could be easily skipped if you weren't in the mood.
He mumbles terribly and they play the same 3 chords over and over. Lyrics are non-sensical.
Couldn't get into this. Very melancholy & turned into background noise very quickly.
snoozefest
# 145 : it's Ok, nothing pulls you in, no hits, Slow and steady and kind of a bit boring.
A couple songs are ok but overall do not like the dreary monotonous voice.
2/5 Not my type of rock.
World’s most boring album
Terrible singing pretentious and monotonous singing voice. Really poor lyricism which is driven by storytelling but of such a cliché topics.
The National is pretty hit or miss for me. When a song hits, it really hits. This album by them, for me, has just a bit more misses than hits.
Feels like walking through pea soup. I can understand the sentiment but the songs and structure of the album didn’t speak to me. The quality of the band is there though.
the droning tone of his voice starts to get to u after a while its meh
Dismal vocals ruin the whole album, otherwise the music is OK
Started out promising and then just completely stalled. Bland indie music.
Found it pretty boring. The live versions on deluxe edition were pretty good tho. Rating: 2.4
This might be a controversial statement, but the National are just a mediocre indie band. I’m not sure I can ever get behind a band with a vocalist as bland as Matt Berninger. It’s like listening to milk sing about the heartache of being a cow. It doesn’t click with me.
2.8
Generic melancholy 2/5
Too dreary and monotonous for me
It was a moody indie album that still felt too cool to actually be upfront with its feelings and used OK stories instead
Een slecht album kan ik dit niet noemen, het is gewoon echt mijn ding niet. Het is voor mij vaak gewoon gezaag, te "wenerig" en het ambetantste van al is dat ik zijn zangstijl echt niet kan hebben. Dat maakt het voor mij moeilijk een album ervan uit te luisteren. En die doo doo doo doo altijd in Lemonworld, wie vond dat een goed idee? Irritant man. De titel conversation 16 vat het wel goed samen: je telt gewoon de gesprekken, want het blijft maar duren. Twee sterren voor de muziek kunnen er nog af (als ik zijn stem weg denk).
Historically, when I came across a band signed to 4AD, I would anticipate that they'll be somehow avant-garde, emotionally expressive, and psychologically unsettling. It seems like after the 90's sometime the label veered off of that persuasion to draw in "indie" bands absent the challenging "artiness" including The National. In this record they sound soothing and morosely bland, and of the time in ~2010, it seems like they could break out into a "stomp, clap, shout" at any time. The songwriting and musicianship are inane and vacuous like corporate telephone hold music, and the singer sounds like his sleeping pills are kicking in.
Thought I would like their sound but it really got boring on me. Fairly samey.
bland. Could say it's the songwriting, which is dull. There's something else squashed about it. They sometimes try interesting stuff in the backing & yet it never makes the song sound any different. I remember friends being excited about this album. It only made me like their earlier stuff a lot less which was a real bummer at a time when I didn't have too many avenues to find music I liked. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Not terrible or anything but I feel like between 2003 and 2013 I heard this same album six other times by six other bands.
"Sorrow" sounds like a song that would play in a TV show, when the main character is going through something big and there is a montage of them doing stuff with a sad face. Like Ted from How I Met Your Mother. Good track tho. Not much can be said about this album by me, it is calm and quiet but just not my particular style. And the lyrics are very repetitive.
Boring
Sounds like a shitter band version of bon iver
Sucks.
I don't know if this is a bad album or not, it just bored me too much to decide.
Not for me. Boring.
A mostly very middling album for mine, never scaling anthemic heights or delving into brooding depths. Petty but not acerbic, romantic but not passionate. Perfectly listenable. Two and a half. Fave track: Coversation 16
Not a fan of the style of singing in this. It is very subdued. The instrumentation is good I guess This is a high 2/5 or low 3
Unsure: I'm just not really sure whether I would like this album ever. It kinda felt like a really shit copy of every Coldplay song ever but at the time being different and also just boring. Personally I don't think it has aged very well sounding perfect to go into some early-10s tv montage and added to playlisted of middle aged parents trying to listen to "new" music.
I like when he sounds like Nick Cave, but man is this album boring. Nothing here bad, but this came in one ear and out the other, and you can easily place what time this was made in the history of music, and in that case it is not a good thing. It's just so wishy washy, none of the "intense" moments feel like they earned it, and I'm just left questioning why this album has so much praise. Especially with such deep lyrics as "I'd eat your brains, 'cause I'm evil, 'cause I'm evil." Not bad I guess, but I never wanna hear this again. I'm thinking a light two at the moment, but it may be a one by the time I rate it. Nah, it doesn't annoy me enough for a one star.
Bit too dreary for me
They give you this album for free if you’re 40 and divorced and white and male.
Did not like it
Okay but not my thing
Definitely wasn't expecting an album by this band on here. This was a surprise! I like The National, and I think the singer has a cool voice. Unfortunately I can sometimes find myself bored with his inflections and overall performances and this kind of permeates around all of their releases. He has this cool low timbre to his voice and I think that's great and attractive to the ears. BUT, lower timbre voices naturally sound like lower energy. It's why choruses tend to be in a higher register for singers; because the sound is more exciting and that's the hook moment. So he naturally has that sound and then doubles down on it by making SO many of his melodies be this ostinato one-note repetition over and over and it's like extra low energy. Maybe that's just his sound, and it's certainly a core element of The National's sound but I would love if he broke away from that more and had more register changes / contrasting dynamic changes. Great opener. I love how cacophonous all of the instruments are. Hard to tell exactly what's going on besides the voice and piano. Love the super compressed drums. Yea after listening full through, my initial preconceived gripes were prominent throughout the album. Just a weird balance of too many low energy vocals over the top of NOT low energy music. It's a 2/5 for me. I would have preferred "Trouble Will Find Me" to be on this list instead of this one. I dig that record.
Muutama hyvä biisi, mutta yleisesti aika masentavaa. Kakkonen on turhan julma, mutta minkäs teet tällä asteikolla.
Vähän tylsä. Potentiaalia oli herätellä isompiakin tunteita, mut jäi pliisuks
I like the National but the song do run together a bit.
Ethereal in a sense, but also too hum-hoo and forgetful. That BloodBooze Ohio song is an ear worm, though. As was the alternative version of Terrible Love
Not for me
This band has always bugged me. The vocals on this album are annoyingly louder than the instruments, forcing their importance and it's boring and tedious. All the songs sound the same.
Just so dull
I knew they were big, but I never paid The National much attention. Just listened to this album & really enjoyed Sorrow, Bloodbuzz Ohio & Conversation 16. Nothing’s offensive here, but nothing is too thrilling, either.
Lord help me, Arcade Fire yesterday, The National today.... major snoozefest. I completely lost interest in alternative music in 2000s. I had kids (who liked pop music), and a busy life, and I thought it was just that I was getting old and irrelevant that I wasn't particularly interested in a lot of the new alternative music coming out. I read enough to be aware of the bands that were getting critical acclaim (The National, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc, etc), but I just thought I was getting old and just didn't get it. These days I am less inclined to blame myself. I really try with these records, but they are all so fucking dull! It's the emperor's new concept album, I swear. Even the singles are dull. How is it possible to write a song called "Bloodbuzz Ohio" that is this boring? It's literary and worthy, emotional and poetic and profound and tasteful and blah blah blah blah blah, I am so bored.
the national's high violet is a very middle of the road album in my mind. in some ways, it was an easy listen because it didn't hold my attention and wasn't a challenging listen. i say challenging to mean doing something different or unexpected. there was minimal excitement. the album was even and steady in tone, and not a terrible listen, but it had such a bland and disconnected vibe. as a result, it wasn't very memorable or interesting for me. it wasn't catchy. i did enjoy the lyrics from "anyone's ghost"--i thought it was clever!
High Violet is boring. 2.
Seem them live twice and while 99% of public is in awe I get utterly bored. Tried again but his voice doesn't grab my attention, while normally I am into sad songs and melancholy. Sorry, 2 stars,
Ok album but nothing special
This is really boring as hell. His voice is not bad though.
Honestly didn’t finish. I like the National one song at a time a full album is too much. Might revisit
Wat een verschrikkelijke zeur-plaat is dit weer....
Surpreso que The Nationals eh tao popular! Musica boa pra continuar deprimido, I guess
Wimpy background noise album
Meh
Instrumentation is pretty and lush sounding. Vocals are completely droning and boring however making the whole album a bit of a slog to get through.
mid
lol random xd lyrics sang in a monotone voice with forgetful music
Oh. So so dull
Not my gig
Meh
Tried it twice. Bland and depressing. Two stars for decent lyrics.
An extended dirge. Try to imagine a slightly more tuneful Morrisey singing over the backdrop of slowed down Coldplay music for three quarters of an hour and you have more or less this album.
Not really a fan of this album or band. I gave it a chance, but I couldn’t connect with the singer. I couldn’t finish the album, sadly.
Generic indie. Fine. Nothing special or different
Nehedu
I wasn't listening to a lot of new music in 2010. I don't think that I missed out on much. This sounds like a cynical attempt to make a lo-fi record. The distortion is overplayed. The drums crash over all the wrong places. There are hints of melodies that might draw me back in again. But I just don't get these tidal wave songs that grow and build. The climax is always a disappointment. It leads to an album with little direction. I want some variety in there.
Sorry, I just don't like this band. Never have. I find the vocals boring. He just drones on and on. I know critics love them, but I wouldn't put this album on the list.
I don't know what this genre is - "guy talking about how his wife left him while strumming two chords but occasionally the entire orchestra starts playing behind him" - but I'm so done with it at the moment. After this album ended, I was probably hit by one of those Men In Black memory wipe devices, because I can't recall a single song. I think he sounded kind of like an even more pretentious Michael Gira in one.
It's basically the band Interpol except it's dull. I'm not sure why this album is on the list of 1001 albums you have to listen to. Go listen to "Turn on the bright lights" instead.
really uninteresting album. Low droning vocal is overdone. Band sounded good though.
There's some nice music hidden here, but depressing is not my thing and after the third song with such dreary vocals I was really struggling.
Did anyone else experience this? When I was reading the Wikipedia entry for this band, I got about a third down and realised that no information about the band had entered my head whatsoever. This is in part due to their Wikipedia page delivering torrents of info nobody in the world cares about or will ever care about. Is there a conceivable reason anyone would want to know the dates of their various Saturday Night Live performances? This is an especial variant of tedium afflicting contemporary indie. The National suffer that condition which oft infects indie bands that aim for the superior market of the Pitchfork reviewer: by insisting that their music is their overriding concern, they don't provide enough personality to attract the standard listener. Oh, their music may be acceptable, but you notice a deficit in charm, or empathy, or flair, or wit, or even contempt. You just receive this batch of nondescript good taste, which paradoxically results in it appearing in as bad taste as Kanye West's latest theory. Do they have blood in their veins or just water? And yes, the music on High Violet is good, and in good taste. But it's the good taste of a beige and silver bedroom suite where you suspect that the interior designer would vomit in disgust if someone tried sleeping in it, or worse, fucking in it. The album started off fine. Terrible Love is a decent opener, even if the song doesn't achieve the potential the title suggests. But the album stays in exactly the same tenor throughout, and diminishing returns kick in by the second track. No song struck me, no lyric struck me, no melody struck me. It's a bitch to write about this, because you're trying to find details in wallpaper paste. When the end came round, with another promisingly titled number called Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, it was a few minutes after the song finished that I realised the album had ended. As a British music fan, my relationship with indie is convoluted and complex. This is completely normal. Ask any person in a similar position their opinion on Oasis, and you'll get spittle-infused terabytes of how Be Here Now is underrated, or how Oasis were the most overrated British group of the 90s, or how their brother attended their concert at Knebworth, or which of the two brothers has had the more rewarding solo career, or most likely you'll get a drunken yet sincere bellowing of Don't Look Back in Anger. What you won't get is a shrug. The National just gave me 45 minutes of raised shoulders and pursed lips. Hell, even this more tempered style of indie can elevate the soul: I gave 4 stars to Elbow not too long ago. But for The National to actually move people, I recommend more drastic treatment. Dr. NoRadio prescribes The National to blow coke up strippers' bumholes on stage, then deafen the first ten rows of the audience with a power chord so fierce that it'd make Thor Himself piss His breeches. Come back when you can rock like a bastard. NoRadio, signing off.
Great riffs.
Not terrible, but boring.
A boring 2
I found this to be quite boring, but it's not bad music. It's just not for me.
I've never heard of this band before, I thought they would have been from the 90s if I didn't know any better. They also have a song with Taylor Swift which is pretty cool. Idk why she would want to work with these guys unless she just enjoys the lead singers voice. That is the only thing that is interesting about this album. Even that gets old when he stays monotone for an entire run of songs. Boring af 3/10
boooriiiing
I can enjoy anything that Matt Berninger sings over, which makes the echo nature of High Violet ultimately disappointing. The record has effective turns of melancholy and strong drumming at points, but the lows are truly forgettable. What it lacks is a telos, and when the music is low-key, vibes are hard to find to carry the formlessness. Background music, a fine coda for those who know they already enjoy the band.
I wasn't much into this one. Perhaps another day..
2 This is almost my kind of thing. Some really great lyrics here but musically it left a lot to be desired. The songs all blended together after the second track. I felt like I was anticipating something that either never came or wasn’t satisfying for me. It could’ve gone way harder than it did. Either way I prefer this guy’s work with T Swift way more. Favorites: Sorrow, Bloodbuzz Ohio
Not offensive to the ears, just very dull.
un po' emo, non troppo male
Monotonous album. Boring.
I should like them more than I do…
Sigh. An acclaimed band with a singer that does, seriously, like 3? 4? notes with his voice. All in that deep just-can't-be-assed-singing-higher voice. Like some parallel universe version of AC/DC where the vocalist just does 3-4 low notes instead of 3-4 high ones. Not one memorable tune here.
Not that exciting. 4-6/10 lacks rock n roll.
Boring
a whole lot of meh. i reckon on paper i should like this but in ear i just couldn't get in to any of it. luckily for the national it come hot off the heels of the absolutely woeful the the so i couldn't justifiably put it in the 1 star club.
To many of these kind of albums. Enough already.
I don't feel it at all. The singer's voice is boring and the tracks sound very alike.
I don't know why this is on the list. Maybe some people think it's great songwriting, but I find it to be sonically very boring. The lead singer doesn't have a strong enough voice to carry the album and the arrangements don't make up for that.
rien de notable, peut être redonner une chance
Competently dull...sorry
Listened Before? N So I'm not sure if this was an album or one long-ass song. It was slow, dragging, mumbly... freaking early 2010s hipster music. Not good. Like, it's okay for about 3 songs and then it just becomes background droning. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Bloodbuzz Ohio
It was good but nothing really grabbed me.
How terribly dull. Some nice drumming and it did pick up a little in the second half.
Miserable
2.5. Seems ok. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is bad... just need more time to get to know it.
Très ordinaire. Pas mauvais mais juste très fade et safe
I hate to continue to throw out twos and threes but that’s what this album deserves. I liked the ending of the album but the beginning was tough to get through. The end was like lifting but the beginning was gah
It's been less than 24 hours and I really don't remember anything from this album. On to the next one!
I realise loads of people who love the same bands I love, love The National. But this all just feels so... Respectable and placid. It does nothing for me really. It's not bad. It's just some music that happens while I'm in its presence. I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just bad at liking music.
man idk i really tried to have an open mind but this album is boring as shit
💤💤💤 dull, unoriginal.
Downbeat, gloomy and not all that interesting on first listen, despite being fairly intricate. I suspect my rating and enjoyment would increase with repeated listens, but I can't see myself returning to this. I generally like miserable lyrics, but typically when they are accompanied by uplifting music. Miserable lyrics with miserable music is a bit too misery inducing for me, and I don't want to be miserable. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Bloodbuzz Ohio Date listened: 25/04/22
Hi- Anyone's Ghost, Afraid of Everyone Lo- Terrible Love, Runaway Starts off kind of droning and moody, (reminds me of The Bravery, whom I dislike) with Terrible Love. Anyone's Ghost is pretty good and catchy. Afraid of Everyone...that's a whole mood, and I enjoy it. So far this is a mixed bag, I'm not a huge fan. Runaway is back to droning mode, and it's not my favorite...the rest of the album is very much the same as the beginning and I probably won't be listening again going forward.
That dude's voice just ruins it for me, every time.
This was not very good. It was boring and lousy.
Nowa hamerykanska banda z gatunku indyjskiego grania do kolekcji, tym razem dosc wspolczesnie, bo High Violet to krazek z 2k10, ktory jest piatym studyjnym albumem grupy, dosc braterskiej, bo dwie pary braci i random na wokalu, ale nie byle jaki random tylko Matt Berninger, ktory spiewa tak gloomersko doomersko sojakowe tresci, ze chyba sila wizualizacji wyguglowalem, ze z wygladu przypomina to co spiewa, wiec sojakowy blues, zagrany w bogatym akompanamencie, bo poza 4 braciaszami grupa podczas nagran wykorzystala dwu cyfrowa liczbe muzykow sesyjnych, wiec jest napchane do rozpuchu, a to wszystko w imie grania powaznej muzyki dla wysubimowanego sluchacza, ktory nie zadowoli sie popowym brzmieniem i nie godzi sie na kompromisy, jesli chodzi o podejscie do brzmienia, musi byc perfekcja, a do tego na dokladke jeszcze wiecej smetow i dlugich kawalkow o niczym, 47 minut materialu i 11 trakow, ktore w wiekszosci kreca sie wokol tak typowego dla nietypowego indyjskiego gatunku, czyli milosci smutnej, rozpadom zwiazkow, odrzuceniu i calemu temu bluesowi, a to podane w tak sojakowym sosiwie, ze az mnie naszla ochota na latte z mlekiem sojowym i przycinanie wasa, gdyby tylko dalo sie posluchac samego instrumentala tego albumu bez tych wymeczonych wokalnie tekstow, na plejke dodam bloodbuzz ohio, kawalek ktory wyroznia sie z plyty pomyslem na siebie, bo pijany ktos wspomina swoje dobre chwile w rodzinnym ohio, ale nie ma ich zbyt wiele, wiec raczej woli pic zeby o nim zapomniec
Som palha, sem vontade de viver 😅
Once, on the strength of a gushing profile of Jony Ive's production team at Apple, I went out and bought Interpol's Turn On the Bright Lights. (It's complicated, ok? Let's just accept that I was a shallow and callow young man.) Not entirely surprisingly, the album was not to my liking (I did try bloody hard, I have to say), and I eventually disposed of the evidence of my foolishness in a charity shop. Never thought about Interpol until listening to this, many years on. I didn't buy High Violet at the time (thank you, unnamed music blog. God, those were the days...). I did like the anthemic pomp pf "London" (and, turns out, I still do); and like Turn On...I tried hard to like the cool new alt-rockers on the scene. I failed better with The National. But the point is that I wasn't their constituency, and neither them mine. Sometimes, it is best to accept the natural order of things as it is.
At first I thought it was inoffensive. But then I heard more and it got really boring.
I'm actually shocked this album has this many listens on Spotify considering how boring this is. I suppose people put this on in the background as they're trying to get to sleep? Horrendous singing and unimpressive playing. 3/10.
Lo-fi The Cure
while the lyrics tell whole stories the musical composition is rather dull and boring
I feel like I'm missing something here? This is garbage.
Not really for me.
Acoustic music, maybe good when depressed lol but otherwise boring
Terrible
I used to enjoy hearing the odd song on the radio, but when I saw them live it was too much song-after-song, so I left and saw another band. Listening to the album is much the same. The one part I can get past is his vocals- a heathen light volition.
The first couple of songs are hard to get into. The third song (Percussion Ghosts) has percussion beats that make it interesting but I find most of this album challenging.
Meh. It is an indie album. It was unremarkable. No need to listen to it again.
Who decided to record this with the singer at the bottom of a deep, deep well. Some times echo is arty! Not for me...
Good album. An emotionally charged album, but not for me at this point in my life
I saw these guys open for the Arcade Fire back when the Arcade Fire could sell out a theater. My one takeaway from their set was that the singer is a baritone. Having listened to this entire record, my takeaway is still that one single thing. Dude's a baritone. There's absolutely nothing else I can distinguish as a single selling point for this band. Except, perhaps, for Andy's NPR thing. Other fun fact from that show: the Arcade Fire didn't play "Wake Up." I get it, I get it. You have one anthem in the arsenal, you just released your second LP, and you don't want to play that song again. But also: fuck off with that noise. We all paid good money to hear that one song and you couldn't be bothered to do it one more time. It was a pretty frustrating night.
Moody without the emotion to back it up, boring. The kind of indie that's basic without knowing it's basic.
Despite having origins in my hometown of Cincinnati, I somehow completely missed the boat with The National. Now, listening to them consciously for the first time, I can see why: it's very competent music but it also sort of just blends into the general milieu of the indie rock of its time. And since they seem to almost exclusively dwell in a state of heavy melancholy, the album collapses under its own weight rather quickly for me. Come to think of it, "Heavy Melancholy" should be a subgenre of indie rock. If it were used as a label it would be really useful, because it would make it so much easier for me to avoid exhausting albums like this one.
There are some interesting things happening with the layering of instrumentation, the production is quite good, and there are some decent moments, but overall it feels like there’s a lack of variation musically which lends the album an air of sameness and makes getting through the whole thing a chore.
Meh.
No es mi rollo
This is so boring and common that I don't understand why it is on this list. Anything between a piece of elevator music and an end of party music. Even the live versions have not any soul.
It's okay at times but pretty boring. I wasn't a huge fan.
just not my type. it's way too scattered
Meh
Terrible Love and some other tracks have a really interesting 'raw' feel, very intentionally messy mix with the guitar/bass/percussion. Vocals are baritone 'depressive' Morrissey-style. Overall this style of indie rock reminds me a lot of Kensington/White Lies, but the vocal style and downbeat melodies aren't really my cup of tea. Having said that, Bloodbuzz Ohio is a banger that sounds like a modern Johnny Cash song. Makes sense it's the most popular track from this album!
Great tshirt
Meh. Not memorable.
eh
For me, two stars is decent music that I like, but can’t handle in large doses. Had to split the album up throughout my day, and felt like a chore to finish it
God, this is dull
Yawn. Played at work, helped me concentrate on the task and hand and was completely forgettable. Why is this here?
not for me
Droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooone. Surely the album that actually inspired DJ Hennessy Youngman's "AWWW SAD WHITE GUY" drop in CVS Bangers. This album's only redeeming quality is that in the video for one of the songs the guy looks like annoying preppy Bryan Cranston
Boring voice, boring everything
One of those generic, absolutely formulaic bands that somehow gets popular once in a while.
This shit is millennial drab. It's a bunch of songs with this odd buildup that goes absolutely nowhere. Just sonic edging for about an hour. I really wanted to like it because I myself am a millennial but there are literally no redeemable qualities to any of these songs. Hate to see it.
THE BEES NO NOT THE BEES. Ya ever get whisked away to Ohio on a swarm of Bees? If you did, would you write a better album than the first guy that "rode the yellow-black wave"? The National doing their best Kings of Leon takes us straight to the overpriced gastropub. There is an in-house tattoo artist for all the finger moustaches your fingies can handle. Do one on every finger! If you do the Hitler pinkie it's 25% off Jimmy's classic "Fuck you" peanut Butter Bacon Burger. It's going to be an EPICSAUCE XD night 2 remember. Insufferable late oughts backing track for fedora clad, suspenders wearing Neil Diamond who seems like the type of guy to feign mental illness to score with psych ward chicks. I have used the word "insufferable" repeatedly in my journey through musical hell, and it is back at front of mind as I stare into this art-less abyss. Aside from the occasional fun lyric, this is nothing. This is an empty chalkboard in an abandoned school, without any of the emotional poignance. If these dorks rented studio time and hesitated into a microphone, I would've had a better time. WHERE ARE THE INSTRUMENTS?? There is no music, and there is a truly horrible singer who sounds like he deeply kisses the mirror each morning. Get this away from me. 0 GENRE: 2011 Barn Wedding to 2026 "Ethical" Non-Monogamy Pipeline
Perfect soundtrack for anhedonia
I really tried to get through this album but it was just the same thing - a song with a couple riffs repeated and droning voice.
When I listened to it, I wondered what I was feeling... because understood rationally that this music is emotional or sounds emotional. But I didn't feel anything, and I'm indifferent to the whole album. Even though it has everything I usually love to lose myself in... nothing grabs me or moves me
Somehow this is incredibly boring and obnoxiously annoying at the same time. 0.5/5.0: Unlistenable
there arent many albums on the list with as little personality as this
i feel like i just listened to the same song in a different font for 47 minutes
nah
Hated it, kind of depressing
Indie rock. Think about that. You go indie because the masses think you suck. And in this case, the masses are right. You suck something fierce. 1
I'm almost finished with it at this exact moment and I'm anxiously waiting for it to be over so I can put something else on. Boring, generic and dreary if I had to define it.
Why are the on the list again?
I'd love to hear the record that fans of The National hear. I can't believe there are five people in this group.
Legend has it the singer of this band was hooked up to an IV of NyQuil while binge drinking sleepy time tea during the recording of this album. When the singer sounds like he can't be bothered, why the fuck should I? Its so god damn boring and drones on forever. A genuine slog of an album.
Meh
Muito chato mds
Never could dig this band, still can't
THIS is meant to be one of the best albums of all time - REALLY???? If you like your music with all the sharp edges removed and any real emotion clinically sanitized, them this is exactly what you have been looking for all these years For me, this is a hard NO!
yeah. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with these guys. I like one song by them but it's on a different LP.
I really really can’t stand the National; pretentious morbidity, want-to-be dark poets. Godawful.
befria mig från detta intet!
eugh