Tag: The National

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Albums

Best albums of 2023: Five honourable mentions

Happy Friday! And happy first day of December!

It’s now officially the last month of the year and you know what that means… the start of the infamous end of the year extravaganza.

I’ve been doing this thing, counting down my favourite albums of the year for every year that this blog has been in existence. Indeed, I’ve even been doing it for longer if you count the years that I was ranking my favourite annual releases on my old blog, Music Insanity.

This additional post I’ve allowed myself, though, kicking things off and sharing some additional great albums that didn’t quite make the top ten is something I started last year and have decided to carry it forward into this year. As you might’ve guessed by now, I do enjoy making lists but sometimes I find my own rules constricting and worry that they result in some excellent releases not getting their due on these pages.

So… these five albums are just some of the great ones that deserve some honourable mention, ones that if you haven’t listened to them yet, I highly recommend you do. They are not ranked but listed alphabetically. The ranking will start with the next post.

Emma Anderson “Pearlies”:  Emma Anderson was a founding member and principal songwriter of 90s shoegaze icons Lush and then, one half of indie pop duo Sing Sing in the 2000s, and here in 2023, we’re finally getting her debut solo album and it’s just as fantastic as you’d suspect.
Check out: “The presence”

Nation of Language “Strange disciple”:  The third album by the Brooklyn-based indie pop trio sees the group building upon their OMD-influenced sound, moving in slightly different directions, but just enough to keep their tight, synth pop tunes fresh.
Check out: “Weak in your light”

The National “First two pages of Frankenstein”:  It’s been four years since their last record and members of The National had themselves admitted to finding the well a bit dry. However, 2023 has seen them release two new albums*, though in my opinion, “First two pages of Frankenstein” is the more compelling of the two.
Check out: “New Order T-shirt”

Postdata “Run wild”:  Wintersleep frontman Paul Murphy started Postdata as a side project in 2010 and “Run wild” is the fourth in a string of very excellent introspective and atmospheric albums that he has released since.
Check out: “Try”

The Rural Alberta Advantage “The rise & the fall”: To put together their first full-length album since 2017, the Toronto-based indie folk rock trio added an additional seven tracks to the six already released as an EP last year and the results are more of the frenetically told tales of Canadian minutiae that we know and love.
Check out: “Real life”

*The other is “Laugh track”, released in mid-September.

I’ll be back very soon with albums #10 through #6 for my Best albums of 2023 list. In the meantime, you can check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

Categories
Albums

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”.

“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.

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.

Categories
Playlists

Playlist: New tunes from 2023, part two

Happy Friday all!

For me, it’s an especially happy Friday because at the end of today’s work day, I’ll be off on vacation leave, taking a much needed break from the office and at the same time, these pages, for just over a week and a half. I’ll be sure to take full advantage of the time away and not think of anything except that moment and the next, and come back fully recharged and refreshed. But before I go, I’ve got one more blast of music to share with you all: part two of my ongoing New Music of 2023 playlist.

To be truthful, I can’t believe I’m posting another one if these already. I typically do each instalment of these four part series of new tunes for the year once every three months but it feels more like three minutes rather than months since the last time I did one. I can’t really recall very much of what I’ve done during the second quarter of 2023. It’s not that I haven’t appreciated each breath I’ve taken, moments shared with my lovely wife, etc and etc, but there’s been so much sameness, it’s hard to extract one moment from the next. It’s been working, eating, sleeping, and mostly more of the same.

Interestingly, the music I’ve been listening to hasn’t quite reflected this same feeling. It’s been for the most part very reflective and present and self-aware. Music that breathes with you and embraces you. It’s not something I purposely sought out but it found me nonetheless. Have a look through and see if you disagree, and don’t worry, it’s not all work and no play. There’s a bunch of fun jams thrown in there to shake things up for you as well.

But I won’t guide your thoughts too much, I’ll present the music that I’ve ridden on during these second three months of 2023. If you’re not sold on checking out all twenty-five, perhaps sample from a few of these highlights:

      • Daughter sets us off on the right track with “Be on you way”, the beautiful and breathless track from “Stereo mind game”, their first album in seven years
      • The brash yet melodic garage rock feels of “Love beyond the grave” reminds us all why we love what Crocodiles are all about
      • Montreal-based dream pop duo Bodywash and their track “Kind of light” had me wondering why on earth I’d never heard of them before this
      • The National are back up to their old tricks with “New Order t-shirt”, weaving stream of conscious narratives and haunting melodies that I dare you to not adore
      • Olivia Jean’s “Trouble” is dark, grimy, and glamourous, not to mention chock full of attitude
      • The ever brilliant James has released a new double album in celebration of their 40 years in existence, reimagining many of their iconic tunes with an orchestra and it includes wonderful new number called “Love make a fool”
      • Pond frontman Nicholas Allbrook is channeling Bowie in “Jackie”, an amazing tune off his new solo album, “Manganese”

Here is the entire playlist as I’ve created it:

1. “Be on your way” Daughter (from the album Stereo mind game)

2. “Sepsis” Blondshell (from the album Blondshell)

3. “Love beyond the grave” Crocodiles (from the album Upside down in heaven)

4. “Rushin’ river valley” Fruit Bats (from the album A river running to your heart)

5. “Major league” The Tallest Man on Earth (from the album Henry St.)

6. “Kind of light” Bodywash (from the album I held the shape while I could)

7. “Gamma rays” Temples (from the album Exotico)

8. “Slow burn” Rose City Band (from the album Garden party)

9. “American daughter” Beach House (from the EP Become)

10. “Flight paths” Great Lake Swimmers (from the album Uncertain country)

11. “New Order t-shirt” The National (from the album First two pages of Frankenstein)

12. “Time back” Indigo De Souza (from the album All of this will end)

13. “Gaagige” Zoon (from the album Bekka ma’iingan)

14. “Trouble” Olivia Jean (from the album Raving ghost)

15. “True mirror” Esben and the Witch (from the album Hold sacred)

16. “The likes of us” Lanterns on the Lake (from the album Versions of us)

17. “Visions” Frankiie (from the album Between dreams)

18. “Pretty Boy” Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (from the album Council skies)

19. “Love make a fool (Orchestral version)” James (from the album Be opened by the wonderful)

20. “Jackie” Nicholas Allbrook (from the album Manganese)

21. “Joy’all” Jenny Lewis (from the album Joy’all)

22. “Social lubrication” Dream Wife (from the album Social lubrication)

23. “Silver girl” Spoon (from the EP Memory dust)

24. “Mór” Sigur Rós (from the album Átta)

25. “It’s just a bit of blood” bdrmm (from the album I don’t know)

Apple initiates  can click here to sample the above tracks as a whole playlist.

And as always, wherever you are in the world, I hope you continue to be well. Above all, enjoy the tunes.

If you’re interested in checking out any of the other playlists I’ve created and shared on these pages, you can peruse them here.