I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The National - High Violet
It’s hard to be a baritone singer in a world that is gender/frequency biased. You want to know something? I get it. I get it all. It’s detached, but sensitive. I understand that. Isn’t that what we loved about Jim Morrison and John Lennon? Sure, I may have thought the voice was weird and droning. I didn’t understand the constant morose until I actually became constantly morose.
I know you feel the same way.
We felt this way about Leonard Cohen, and, to a certain degree, we felt it about Tom Waits (except a lot of us felt more vehemently). It’s okay. We’re all friends here. Let’s be honest:
We’re all afraid of things that are “different.” The majority of us like our singers whiny and “Kurt Cobainish.” I suppose part of that is due in part for our need for dynamic front men. We want them manic with respect to what is immediately before us. To a certain extent, however, this isn’t very genuine—and this is exactly where High Violet succeeds. Indeed, we as a listening public (fucking whiny hipsters) have come along way since listening to music to make us feel validated about being angry about our dads. Now we have songs to accompany us while obsess over lost loves (“Sorrow”), songs to make us feel less weird about our morbid, post-mortem thoughts (“Anyone’s Ghost”), and songs that simply acknowledge that most of us are simply accruing debt and getting old (“Bloodbuzz Ohio”).
Matt Berninger’s vocals and lyrics are, for all purposes, the “front man” of The National. On High Violet we are treated to organ swells, persistent, paranoid drumming, and guitars which color the album like a giant Guernica-sized canvas.
Make no mistake—this is a BEAUTIFUL album. Through and through, attention has been paid to every sonic flourish and overtone. Every rhythmic touch is planned and schemed to be perfect for the moment. The lyrics are inspired and appropriate.
“I was afraid that I’d eat your brains…becuase I’m evil.” - “Conversation 16”
It is a dark and depressing album—and that is awesome. It is awesome because it is real depression about real problems, and it is expressed through real musicianship and real songwriting.
I’m an Apple Stockholder so I would prefer you get it here.
But you can also get it here: High Violet on CD from The National’s Website.
I’d like to be the first to say it: “MGMT’s new album sucks.”
That is all. Let the hate mail flow.
A friend forwarded this to me—a really great, informed article by one of the best in music now, then, and always.
Warning: There’s a REALLY discouraging graph on the first page.
Also…send me music. There are a lot of ways to do it. Look on the left and send me music…goddammit. I’ll write about it and we’ll all be happy.
All I have to say is:
SUCK IT, MICROSOFT.
