Best albums of 2010: #3 The National “High violet”

Every time The National releases a new album, I needlessly worry that it can’t possibly be better than their last, that perhaps this time, they’ll finally release a disappointing album, and then, they come up with something that somehow, unbelievably, improves on the last. Such has been my experience with the five-piece, Cincinnati-based indie band, ever since I got into them shortly after the release of their 2007 album, “Boxer”. I’ve since gone back to explore their back catalogue and can attest that, at least for myself, this theory holds true for their pre-“Boxer” work as well.

For those not in the know, The National has made a name for themselves with their dark, brooding, atmospheric music. Early on, they were compared to well-established, influential artists like Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Joy Division, likely mostly due to the lush, baritone vocals of frontman Matt Berninger, but I think his intricate lyric work is another comparison point worth noting. I’ve heard it said that some people find their songs’ meanings too ambiguous but I’ve always liked the images that are invoked and the sometimes conversational tone Berninger takes, as if recounting a story to mates over pints. Yes, they create dark places in all corners of their music… and yet… there’s something oddly uplifting about it all.

If “Boxer” woke the world up to the beautiful music The National was making, “High violet” cemented them in our collective musical consciousness, breaking them into the mainstream but somehow keeping their indie “cred” intact. This album was well reviewed by both Pitchfork and Spin alike and sold very well with the music-buying public. For me, “High violet” is an almost perfect album. There are absolutely no weak songs in the batch. It is an album that is dense with instrumentation, each layer beautifully rendered and thickly applied so as not to be missed. The songs are all miniature symphonies with Berninger’s rich vocals serving as both the centrepiece and yet another cog in the complicated puzzle. I love to turn the volume up, close my eyes, and lose myself in this music, listening to the intense intricacies and discovering new nuances every time.

I consider myself truly blessed that I’ve gotten to see The National perform these and many other of their past and future songs a few times over the years. For those who haven’t had the pleasure, I definitely recommend you do so at your next opportunity. The experience is almost without description.

Anyhoo, here’s my three picks for you out of the eleven fantastic tracks on “High violet”.

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“Bloodbuzz Ohio”: Track six starts cranked up with a crazy drum rhythm set against a thin layer of reverberating keys and keeps that same level throughout, and then, Matt Berninger peeks in with those aforementioned conversational vocals, allowing the rich textures in his voice to seep into every pore of the melody. “I still owe money to the money, to the money I owe. I never thought about love when I thought about home.” I don’t know what the heck he is referring to – if it’s personal or if it’s just words that match that melody – but damned if he doesn’t resonate. Especially when you are in the middle of a crowd shouting/screaming/singing along with those words and throwing them into the wall of sound that The National magically creates live.

“Conversation 16”: Speaking of conversational tone, this song’s lyrics sound like random snippets of dialogue picked up from different tables at a morning cafe and jumbled up into one disjointed narrative but one that paints a delicious Norman Rockwell-like image, wrought in the normal National hues. Back when this song appeared at number 22 on my list of favourite tunes for 2010, I wrote how the song reminded me of an exercise assigned to me back when I was a Creative Writing major back in university. Starting from “I think the kids are in trouble” and ending with “‘Cause I’m evil”, the ‘scratching, reverberating guitars and ominous drumming’ carries the conversation along on an almost sinister wavelength, making the banal seem gorgeous and exceptional.

“Runaway”: “We got another thing coming undone. And it’s taking us over. And it’s taking forever.” Track eight was my third favourite song of 2010 and back then, I described “Runaway” as a dirge. Bass drums thumping and laying down life as we know it. Acoustic finger picking, lilting through the dry ice fog and suddenly there’s a hint of horns, a taps for a new generation, sad but uplifting. The track reminds me of R.E.M.’s ability to imbue even the most quiet and delicate track with fiery passion and angst. It slowly builds but not in bombast or speed, no matter how much you think it could explode at any moment, it never does. It is simply beautiful.

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Stay tuned for album #2. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Diamond Rings “Special affections”
9. Bedouin Soundclash “Light the horizon”
8. LCD Soundsystem “This is happening”
7. The Drums “The Drums”
6. The New Pornographers “Together”
5. Stars “The five ghosts”
4. The Radio Dept. “Clinging to a scheme”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.