Boxer

good god what a boring band

Sorry to whomever submitted this - I truly and actively do not like this band. Every few years I've tried and with their main entry to the list it sealed it for me - something very detached about them for me; certainly the vocals are a main ingredient - dreary and not even a "let's mock his affected accent" Morrissey way but more in a "...really, dude?" way. In some ways it's not *that* far off from, say, Interpol but that band have a post-punk / truly mysterious and interesting modality to them that The National doesn't bring for even a measure. If I cared more I would be almost fascinated as to what is it about this band that annoys tf out of me - there's something in my brain screaming about it being a bit overly-precious, but if the objective music theory part of me takes over I recognize that these compositions aren't throwaways, i.e. there is creativity here. Perhaps it's just that there's absolutely nothing exciting - nothing mysterious - nothing silly - nothing remotely dangerous in here. And if that album cover truly is of them playing at a wedding I'd rather have heard the chicken dance. "...hey kids. congrats on your nuptials. ....sigh..... try not to cut yourself on the way back to the hotel. anyways. here's our latest 70bpm dirge...." After 3 songs I'd have said I think I "enjoy" it more than High Violet but damning with faintblahblah and all that and now I'm not even 7 songs deep and I'm picking lint off my shirt with a greater interest than anything else I've done this morning. I don't/cannot/will not ever connect with this. 3/10 1 star. IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

Listening to this morose motherfucker on what was meant to be a cheering spring morning walk was absolutely a mistake. Reading (with increasing bafflement) all the glowing reviews, I see that another The National album made it to the main list, which I had apparently blotted out of my memory. Re-reading my review of High Violet, I can say that this album is better than that one - at least this one doesn't have the overworked grandiosity of High Violet - but don't mistake that faint praise for me liking this album, because I absolutely do not. It's like Death Cab For Cutie without the charm, optimism or likeability.