The National -- High Violet : SERIOUS
I can hear you out there in the interwebs saying, "C'mon, Nich--that's a cop-out. You could describe every one of their albums with that word." You make a startlingly good point--ouch. But I am not reviewing this in the context of their catalog, but rather in the context of all the other music I've been listening to over the last year or so. Why? Because I am under-educated on this band...I feel like I shouldn't tell you this because I'm not sure we know each other that well, but this is the very first National album I've ever listened to all the way through--the first one I've ever owned. I have heard enough samples of the previous work to know vaguely what to expect from their newest opus, but I finally decided to buy this one after seeing so much good press written about it over the past six months and its inclusion in so many "Best of 2010" lists. And the absolute best word I can come up with to describe it is "serious". This is a serious album. Is there humor? Sure, but it's all in a blank-faced, deadpan style--as in the title and chorus of the closer, "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks". Mostly, this is a serious-sounding record for people who have the ability to laugh at sorrow and joylessness, beginning with its title--doesn't "High Violet" sound like a disease, or some color-coded terrorist threat warning?
Lest you go thinking I am not into that, let me assure you that I freaking love this thing. The rhythms are so constantly propulsive and uplifting. Matt Berninger's voice and lyrics are so sage-like and pained. The over-arching ideas here are so lovelorn, so weary and broken-down--but the music, as it often does, has such an amazing curative effect: it's as if the protagonist of each song is hypnotized into a reasonable facsimile of happiness solely by the cathartic experience of putting his thoughts into the world. As serious as it is, this album is all about creating a fantasy in which all things can be explained, and therefore gotten-over.
Song worth repeating: "Anyone's Ghost" - Berninger channels a heart-broken Justin Townes Earle who is in-turn channeling a gut-punched Buddy Holly in this song. The hook is tragically beautiful, complete with an amazing guitar/cello melody that begs to be repeated at high volumes.
Local Natives -- Gorilla Manor : HONEST
It is easy to sit here and say that a band's sound or lyrics contain the abject quality of honesty, but two songs into this album, I was kind of uncomfortable. "Airplanes", if I am not mistaken, is a soul-wrenching ode to a lost family member (grandparent?) that is as sad as it is beautiful. That kind of honesty is always appealing--it is the one thing that a piece of music cannot have too much of: there can be such a thing as being "too accomplished" or "too cool"...there is no such thing as being "too honest"--and the honesty here permeates every note, every word, every drumbeat. I kept finding elements this band used that reminded me somewhat of an album I have been unofficially saying might be my favorite of 2010, Foals' Total Life Forever: the multi-layered vocals, the dense musicality, the overall 'big'-ness of it. One thing that sets it apart from Foals, though, is that where Foals had a somewhat muffled effect on much of their production on TLF, Local Natives keep it splashy--every instrument and vocal is at the forefront of the mix, every single element recorded is in your face as though it were somehow recorded in audio 3-D. The other obvious distinction is that Foals hail from Great Britain, while these guys are 100% California. I could not be more impressed with a debut than I am with this one.
I have to say here that I heard a lot about this album when it was released early last year. I kind of thought the reviews were too complimentary, and that's part of why I didn't check it out before. I have to give respect to everyone who kept recommending it to me. I never would have bought it without all your collective thumbs-up's. The lesson here is, as much as I try to stay on-top of what is new and good, things still slip by me--and, as inevitably happens, I end up feeling like a pig-headed philistine when I realize everyone was right. Better late than never, I guess.
Song worth repeating: "Shape Shifter" - I could have easily put something here like "Um...all of them?", but if I have to pick one (and I do!), I will take this one. From its immediately uplifting bassline/piano and drumwork to the amazing chorus, this song is...ugh...it's so damn good. Regarding the chorus: I want so badly to reprint it here (copyright laws be damned!) because it's beautiful, but instead, I am going to go ahead and demand that you go find this song and listen to it, if only to hear the chorus. I don't make a lot of demands, but this is one I feel good about. Please--listen to this song, if you haven't. If you have, listen again. I insist.
Belle and Sebastian -- Write About Love : SOULFUL
Unlike the previous two entries here, I knew what to expect from this--or at least I thought I did. I have been a fan of B&S since when it was only somewhat cool to be, which is to say, I have a passing knowledge of all their work, and an intimate relationship with some of it. The album I have heard the least of was the one previous to this, The Life Pursuit, and I find myself wondering if I might have been more prepared for this new-fangled Belle and Sebastian if that were not the case. This new version features a Stuart who is just this side of angst-y, drums that are just that side of dynamic, certifiably off-the-charts production, and multiple instruments that are fully electric. Who are these people? Intact, however, are the Golden-Era-of-Pop-Music songwriting and the lyrically erudite sensibilities--turns out it's not so different, after all.
You have to love the title of this work. Writing about love is exactly what this band has been doing for nearly two decades. It's only held together by that theme as much as any of their records is held together by the exact same theme. But there is a feeling here that they have never captured before, a stripped-down soulfulness in every vocal. This is such an accomplished album--a band who is thoroughly satisfying every time out, at the height of its powers but still not afraid to try out some new (to them) sonic techniques.
Song worth repeating: "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" - And I can't believe I'm saying it--this song features Norah Jones, who I've never been impressed by. But, damn it, she and Stuart Murdoch trading verses just sound so good together. This is a duet in the spirit of old Motown R&B/Soul music. It's pillow talk for wistful one-time lovers, and it is an absolute gas.
It occurs to me that I never write bad reviews--er, that is to say I don't review music harshly. Perhaps I will get there someday, but here's the thing about that: I have only ever wanted to point people toward great music they may not have heard otherwise. Therefore, I choose to write about music that I like. I think writing about music you don't like is something you do when it's your job (meaning you have to write about music at a constant rate, so at some point you are bound to have to write about something you don't care for), or when you are so moved by its awfulness that you are compelled to tell people. Rest assured there is plenty of stuff I don't like, but why clog up this blog (Ha! "Clog the Blog"! Get it?) with writing about it? If I don't like it, I just won't say anything about it. And that's why you probably won't see bad reviews here in the near future, unless (heaven forbid) I get suckered into buying and listening to something so bad that I feel like you need to hear about its badness, or you want to hire me to write reviews at the aforementioned constant rate. Otherwise, let's just keep it positive. What do you say?
That is all. Thanks for reading.
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