THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Pavement on 17 Jun 2007, 20:43
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I may be jumping the gun on this one a little, seeing as how I have only had the album for a few weeks, but every time I hear Berninger's voice softly contemplating the meaning of our existence over the lovingly played piano and lush combination of brass, guitar and drums that opens "Boxer", I can't imagine that I would ever become enough of a heartless bastard to knock this album off my list. I remember thinking when I first heard Boxer and Alligator (the preceding album) that they were like 'bright lights' interpol meets the hold steady, toeing the line between being too esoteric to allow for more than a fleeting moment of understanding or being so bombastically story driven that you would have to be completely removed from the music to not realize how the songs were connected. Meaningful and potent, yet beautifully understated and human in its execution, I cannot see Boxer being topped by any other album this year.
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wow that's a high opinion of it...currently it's struggling to stay in my top 10 albums for this year
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I think we've already had this thread- which left me frustrated and questioning my loyalty. Your words are kind, but they're pretty much word for word my reaction. The hold steady Interpol comparison is exactly my thoughts. I've been giving both Boxer and Girls and Boys in America pretty even play at the moment.
The National are on my list too. I just feel a little insecure about it at the moment.
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Aye, I put a thread up a couple of weeks ago but I like Pavement's words about why the CD is great better.
This might not be the album of the year for me yet, because 2007 has been pretty goddamn impressive so far, but it's persistently vying for the top spot. And I can't stop listening to it.
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I'd say The National in general is struggling to stay above my ten least favorite bands. I'm kidding of course, they're in no way awful. I just find them fairly derivative, boring, uninspired, and somewhat of a chore to listen to. I don't like the production on Boxer. I don't like the general sound of either album. I especially don't like all the undue hype while other, more deserving bands, aren't given the time of day. The National, to me, are little more than a bland fairly mediocre indie rock band that's, through a lot of luck (connection to Arcade Fire for example), have pushed their way into the limelight. I hope this doesn't last too long because, frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how great they are every time I turn on a college radio station or browse any number of music forums.
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I never really get people complaining about hearing these kind of bands on college radio stations.
The ones around here have people banging on monkey skulls over backwards disco songs and other such "experimental" music. I never really hear typical indie rock or anything of that sort.
*shrug*
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It's okay.
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Actually, the reason I made this thread is because I haven't met anybody who has even heard of The National--then I again, I suppose that is what I get for living in stupid-ass Utah. Also, I only ctrl+f'd the first page of posts for the words "boxer" and "national" : P
I am saying the following after reading one fellow's comment about how they are derivative and boring: I guess they just really struck a chord with me. I was listening to them at work one day and actually started to really hear the lyrics and was suddenly struck with this great feeling of familiarity. This guy wasn't just singing about his own life, he was singing about all of us, and it was a wonder to behold. That is what really made the cd for me.
Also, Ada is the greatest song ever (pardon the hyperbole. Or understatement, depending on just how great you think this song is).
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Currently listening to it now. I love their lead singer; he hits the right inflection between Calvin Johnson and Ian Curtis---that is, he doesn't sound terrible like the former, but has the morose quality of the latter. The production is pretty excellent as well; it's very lush and the drums sound like thunder.
I absolutely love Fake Empire, but Mistaken for Strangers failed to resonate. I did like Brainy, though. I'll have more impressions upon finishing the album.