ivan Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 No way is it better than High Violet. Perhaps on the next album they should try just sticking with the base members of The National and having one producer and see if we get a different result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatteredscreens Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 I personally think it's better than High violet and TWFM, might be 4th best for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyoung Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 I've listened to all of I Am Easy To Find, Boxer and Alligator in full already today. Haven't even taken lunch yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelin Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 21 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said: The shit review was from the shit Observer (guardian on Sundays), the better review was from the weekday guardian. Observer articles just get published on the guardian website Ah thank you. I'm a simple man and just saw The Guardian on both. Seems pretty poor to publish conflicting reviews on the same site. 20 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said: So does Sleep Well Beast sound better or worse in comparison to the new album? For me SWB has some obvious bigger hitters (The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness for example) that the new one doesn't. But the new one seems like a real grower to me. Each listen I notice a new track. So all in all, I don't know ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyoung Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 New record will overtake SWB and TWFM in the rankings I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Tease Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 1 hour ago, zeppelin said: Ah thank you. I'm a simple man and just saw The Guardian on both. Seems pretty poor to publish conflicting reviews on the same site. For me SWB has some obvious bigger hitters (The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness for example) that the new one doesn't. But the new one seems like a real grower to me. Each listen I notice a new track. So all in all, I don't know ? SWB is a strange album to rank, for me- I love the second half of the album, and it has some great songs like The System only Dreams, and some of my favourite national songs like 'I'll Still Destroy You' and 'Guilty party', but then it has one of my most disliked (Turtleneck) and Day I Die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanderlyle Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 1 hour ago, ivan said: The song very much reminds me of The Low Anthem , but yes it needs to lose the choir. It reminds me of an interview i heard with Jason Pierce and he was asked " when do you know when to stop adding bits to a track and just let it go as it is ? " And he said it was " very difficult to finally say the track was ready and let it get out there " "Just one more horn or vocal please !" AC/DC never had that trouble ! Chunks of the album, including the choir here, remind me of what Leonard Cohen did in You Want it Darker. I'd bet they got some inspiration for it. For what it's worth I already like it. A lot. But I probably prefer TWFM and High Violet to Alligator or Boxer so might not be on same wavelength as some here.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superunknown Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Think this is definitely more of a grower. Liked it at first but not an instant classic for me as SWB was. Found some of the different sounds from song to song a bit jarring at first but the songs individually have really grown on me, especially Hairpin Turns and The Pull of You. Light Years is one of the best they've written for me. Cracking album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparx Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 Yeah the album is great. Friday I called it a grower, and it's certainly grown. Not in Kansas is just a masterpiece. Best song they've done since High Violet era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robofish Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 How we all differ. I think TWFM was the best album, the best tour and has their best track (Pink Rabbits, although About Today runs it close). New album has a few moments of unnecessary noodling, but is pretty mesmerising. A lot better than SWB (Carin, System and Nobody Else notwithstanding). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggins Posted May 21, 2019 Report Share Posted May 21, 2019 It's slowly working its way inside my mind after an unsure start. As usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Jokers Attack Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 I'm enjoying it but it's not one of their best releases. Could have done without the interludes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jass Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 Not in Kansas would be a masterpiece were it not for those pissing choir interludes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelin Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 On 5/21/2019 at 5:48 PM, Robofish said: How we all differ. I think TWFM was the best album, the best tour and has their best track (Pink Rabbits, although About Today runs it close). New album has a few moments of unnecessary noodling, but is pretty mesmerising. A lot better than SWB (Carin, System and Nobody Else notwithstanding). Have you ever made the drink? Me and my mates decided to the night before 6music fest in Manchester many years ago. Long story short, it took me the entire Leeds to Manchester train journey to eat my meal deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hutchmaster Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 43 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said: Not in Kansas would be a masterpiece were it not for those pissing choir interludes. The more I listen, the more the one smack bang in the middle of the song gets on my tits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Tease Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 6 minutes ago, Johnkhutch said: The more I listen, the more the one smack bang in the middle of the song gets on my tits. The one that keeps banging on about ticker tape annoys me- it’s not a very good line but it keeps getting sung over and over again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyoung Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said: The one that keeps banging on about ticker tape annoys me- it’s not a very good line but it keeps getting sung over and over again That's one of my favs!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calamitymaud Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 17 minutes ago, jyoung said: That's one of my favs!!! Same! Didn't like it at first but after two or three listens it was one of my favourites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyoung Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 Just now, calamitymaud said: Same! Didn't like it at first but after two or three listens it was one of my favourites. The record is beautiful. I've listened to it every morning since Friday and it's just a joy. So much detail to be discovered in every track. Best thing they've done since High Violet. Cannot wait for Manchester! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Tease Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 56 minutes ago, jyoung said: That's one of my favs!!! I like the rest of the song, I just wish it didn’t say “ticker tape” so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashl Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 On 11/27/2018 at 6:26 PM, Ashl said: TWFM Boxer Alligator High Violet (although the last 3 songs rank higher) Sleep Well Beast Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers The Virginia EP Cherry Tree The National (the only one I don't listen to much really) I like I Am Easy to Find a lot more on headphones and I think it will continue to grow on me gradually. The problem I'm having is I loved it when I saw it played live but I don't think the additional songs not played on the live setlist I saw add anything https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-national/2019/royal-festival-hall-london-england-53930b09.html and mostly ruin the flow. I like Not In Kansas better at the end also! If that was the album it would be verging on Alligator in the list, as it is it feels too disjointed to even go above Sleep Well Beast (see my previous order above Boxer may be back top again at the mo though!). On another topic I quite like taking bands longest albums and filling it with songs in their actual positions from all their albums. If you only have one choice then you are allowed to use a bit of creative licence (so the last 3 in this case, luckily Light Years and Rylan are great choices so 15 is a bonus choice for me from EPs). I also try and avoid follow-on tracks from the same album. Playlist below if anyone is interested! National Nerding over! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostdancer1 Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) still not feeling it. some good tracks but a bit of a mess overall, and a lot of forgettable songs. probably should have cut 3/4 tracks. doesn't really feel like a National album with all the different guests, "The National and friends" would have been more apt. several of the tracks feel like odds and ends left over from the studio that they just cobbled together with little cohesion. for me it's probably their worst since Sad Songs... seeing them at 2 festivals this summer and I really hope they drop a lot of these songs from the festival setlists, as I reckon they'll die a death on a main stage with most tracks from this album. Edited May 22, 2019 by ghostdancer1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Steve Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 Really good article here > https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/arts/music/the-national-i-am-easy-to-find.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graf21 Posted May 23, 2019 Report Share Posted May 23, 2019 Coffee and flowers have done a good summary of the new album on their podcast - which I only found out about last week. I have listened to the album 2/3 times a day since it’s release. I wasn’t a fan at first but I think it’s right up there now. Songs like Oblivions and The Pull of You are belting! Shame about the long interludes but overall it’s a classic. Gutted I’m having to sell my ticket to see them at Castlefield Bowl but thankfully they are playing at Mad Cool the same week! Also, I’ve noticed Kate Stables who is touring with The National is in a band called This Is The Kit, who are playing at Glastonbury this year. I will have to get myself along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostdancer1 Posted May 25, 2019 Report Share Posted May 25, 2019 Light Years and Rylan on a playlist that Taylor Swift shared to her gazillion fans https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/playlist-by-me/pl.ae7cd2db31fc4d519725b6747b9074a5 she had one for her last album too which had Carin at the Liquor Store, and Dark Side of the Gym on it. and some El Vy on a previous one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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