#103

Saying what exactly?

#104

Over a year into these threads (maybe closer to 2?) and we still have people claiming that giving an act the lowest possible score is generous as if theyā€™re bumping it from a 0 score that doesnā€™t exist :smiley: Is this like a bit now?

Edit: appreciate in your case it might just be a withering turn of phrase, more a general comment cause Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ve seen it a few times in the last couple of weeks/months

#105

This is good. I love the kind of ā€œscienceā€ behind this sort of thing. Ultimately though, it can be intellectualised but the beauty of music is that the response it illicits canā€™t be. Whether itā€™s a patience thing on my part or, as Iā€™ve said in the past, a kind of mild OCD or whatever, it just immediately puts my back up.

Thatā€™s a really good post to open my eyes as to what others take from that sort of thing though.

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#106

Yeah, I donā€™t know if thatā€™s what made it worse. The expectation.

Tbf one time they were mediocre and I put it down to an off night but the second time was just absolutely dire. (Also didnā€™t help that Iā€™d seen LCD two nights in a row the previous two days, they left me on such a high)

#107

yeah, just a straight up 5. Two perfect albums, several more really really good ones, then a couple of quite good - hardly a weak link in there. Pretty big fan of the very first album actually, itā€™s nothing revelatory but gets way underlooked. Sleep Well Beast was great too, thought the textures and layers really added something and actually felt like a band changing their sound up for once (within small parameters tbf)

Matt is probably my fav lyricist of the last 10-15 years, and can just get lost in his voice. Always laugh out loud when he drops to that low note on ā€œeverything I love gets lost in drawersā€, not much is more enjoyable than serious music which can still make you laugh

Calling them boring is actually in fact a boring thing in itself

Also the drums oh the drums :drum:

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#108

If the above post isnā€™t enough on an indication of how they are an easy 5 for me, Iā€™m not sure what will.

My favourite band of the last 15 years (other than Fucked Up who serve a different purpose) massively important to my music tastes no less because they filled a rather large ā€œInterpol-sizedā€ hole when they went to shit. Boxer is Iā€™m my top 10/15 records of all time, ā€˜Apartment Storyā€™ is one of my favourite songs of all times which I have covered, Alligator and High Violet either side of it were amazing too, incredibly talented musicians but donā€™t show off about it and an incredible live act to boot where Iā€™ve had some of my favourite live musical moments.

Honestly donā€™t understand the ā€œthey went to shit from Trouble Will Find Meā€ sure they got slightly less consistent but thereā€™s still some amazing stuff across those 4 star albums behind the three 5 starā€™s albums before it.

Love them so, so much and nothing will ever convince me otherwise.

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#109

This is the Last Time is in their top 10 songs and that alone would make the entire album worthwhile

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#110

Preach. Do not understand the hate from fans as well as haters for I Am Easy to Find in particular. Sounds like a very good, if overlong, The National album to me

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#111

^This guy knows his STUFF. Donā€™t call it a comeback!!

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#112

dude, I was there too! Was just going to post about it haha, I think it might only be second to a Jamie T gig where I was surrounded on all sides by topless sweaty 20 year old crowd surfing dudes ā€¦

Also just loved that gig, what a blast. I think it was Abel when there was basically a (mild indie) mosh pit surrounding Matt, all screaming and bouncing along. Think I managed to grab his shoulder for some of it hah. Right up there with my best gigs ever

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#113

I like them a lot. Got into them fairly late though, which might be why Iā€™m a bit surprised to see everyone going on about Alligator and Boxer, when, to my werenā€™t there at the time ears, they are less interesting records than High Violet or Sleep Well Beast - I find the textures, the drumming and the little songwriting flourishes much more accomplished on those later albums (never clicked with TWFM or the last one though).

#114

Much as I think itā€™s been diminishing returns since High Violet, I find it really weird that some people can love a couple of their albums and find others total shit. Likeā€¦ they all sound like The National. I donā€™t necessarily think Sleep Well Beast adds much to their oeuvre but itā€™s hardly a Weezer-style mid-step.

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#115

It seems pointless to vote average though. I havenā€™t listened to more than a track or two

#116

Youā€™re welcome! Glad to try and shed some light, I do agree it can be difficult to marry technical proficiency with genuine raw emotion but I believe itā€™s something The National are exceptionally good at

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#117

Theyā€™ll get pilloried off some here for the temerity to release a few albums that were just ok after a run of superb albums but I canā€™t agree with that.

They are a brilliant band with incredible songwriting. Mattā€™s lyrics are melancholic and thereā€™s a sense of humour running through them that people donā€™t give them credit for.

I like every album theyā€™ve done apart from the first.

Iā€™m voting 5.

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#118

Donā€™t understand why some folks seem so very excited to give them a kicking. Probably because they had the audacity to sell a few records and play some big venues. The bastards.

I caught them at the point where Iā€™d just left education and had no idea who I was or what I was doing and was just listlessly drinking/drugging my life away. No one captures that feeling better than they did on Alligator/Boxer. Theyā€™ll always have a place in my heart for that. Then my wife and I bonded over them which cemented their place as one of the most important bands in my life. I havenā€™t loved any of their records since High Violet but theyā€™ve all had a handful of great tracks on them. Which is more than most bands who seemingly run out of road creatively achieve. 5 for me.

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#119

A 4 from me, feel like it would have been a 5 if voting 5+ years ago. Alligator, Boxer and High Violet were great, and Iā€™ve seen them loads of time with my bro, which was lovely. Sleep Well Beast was pretty bleh, stopped being so into them after that, and just never really regained the full level of interest. Not sure Iā€™d bother seeing them live again, Matt sounds ragged as fuck on that recent live album.

#120

Like, thatā€™s one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Seriously.

People have a baffling hard-on for destroying them on here. Itā€™s so bizarre. There are bands far worthier of your ire.

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#121

Theyā€™re a 4/5 for me. Love them. Like having a nice hug or a cup of tea when itā€™s raining outside.

BUT

I donā€™t get the love for Boxer and all their material before that, just sounds like generic Interpol-esque boring indie club / middle of the day at a festival music to me. From High Violet onwards they got more interesting.

Also, their ATP was SO boring. Like, seriously dull. Only the Deerhoof / Boris Saturday night and Stars Of The Lid came even close to salvaging what a dreary weekend that was.

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#122

itā€™s interesting as this is often one of my absolutely favourite things in music. It can obviously be done in a clunky manner or seem try-hard but generally the change it time signature, the unexpected extra beat, the beat change up out of nowhere, the random sample or blast of noise being dropped in for a few seconds and never repeated again ā€¦ those are all moments that completely elevate songs for me and lodge them in my head more so than a great riff or explosive chorus

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