The National - High Violet (2010)

[Vitalstatistix]

New album :)


http://www.highviolet.com/


due out May 10 in the UK and May 11 everywhere else via 4AD

Good interview with Matt at P4k - http://pitchfork.com/news/37727-nationals-matt-berninger-talks-new-lp/

Tour dates:
03-28 Knoxville, TN - Tennessee Theatre (Big Ears Festival)
04-22 Richmond, VA - The National
04-23 Richmond, VA - The National
05-05 London, England - Electric Ballroom
05-06 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
05-07 Paris, France - Le Zenith *
05-09 Berlin, Germany - Astra
05-21 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
05-22 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern #
05-23 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre #
05-26 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
05-27 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre #
05-29 Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-02 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06-03 Boston, MA - House of Blues %
06-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06-05 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory %
06-06 Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall %
06-08 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06-09 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall %
06-11-13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-16 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall %
07-27 Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park ^

* with Pavement
# with Ramona Falls
^ with Beach House
% with the Antlers

Anyone going to the London shows? I reeeally wanna but it's right before essay deadlines :(

Last two albums Alligator and Boxer are absolutely sublime, so I'm very excited about this, any fans?

[Vitalstatistix]

Oi ya big jessies!

This band is great, where's the love!?

Here's two fab tracks:

The National - Baby, We'll Be Fine


Start a war


Apparently they're playing Fallon on Wednesday, with a special treat to follow on the website. Rumours are this will either be tracklisting / art or the first single. I'm excited!

[kittens]

Yeah, I love The National, and I'm very excited about this.

I don't really have anything productive to add here.

[turnstyle]

Yeah, I love The National, and I'm very excited about this.

I don't really have anything productive to add here.

What he/she said.

[scarecrow]

The National are better live than on record but their records are very good all the same.

[Crabwalk]

That's very encouraging to hear scarecrow. I'm absolutely made up that they're headlining the second stage at Latitude on the Friday this year. Makes up for missing out on tickets to the Albert Hall show.

Alligator is great, and Boxer is one of my favourite albums of the past ten years. 'Ada' in particular is astounding.

Can't wait for High Violet. Thanks for the interview link at the top Vitalstatistix, will check it out pronto.

[kittens]

I prefer Alligator to Boxer. Boxer sounds too clean and shiny and professional. It's still ace, but it ain't no Alligator. Plus Alligator has 'Karen'.

[boxofslice]

Although I love both albums, Alligator is the one I return to more often.  Boxer felt like it was treading the same ground as it predecessor; not in a bad way but it didn't make the big leap I was hoping for.  Good news to hear there's a new record on the way.

[Crabwalk]

What you hear as clean, shiny and professional, Kittens, I hear as muscular, rich and clear. Comma-a-thon there.

For me, the production on Boxer allowed them to reach further with mood and atmosphere than they could before. If you take a song like 'Racing Like a Pro', it's richer, fuller treatment pulls them miles away from their contemporaries and into the realms of Waits, Cohen and Tindersticks. The production does justice to the songs and musicianship in a way that Alligator doesn't quite. The drum sounds on Boxer for example are far more varied, and serve each individual song better.

Anyhow, that's not what makes the difference for me. Ultimately I just rank Boxer as having a couple more Grade A songs than Alligator. Let's hope the new album blows them both out of the water!

[vrailaine]

Love Alligator,
love Boxer,
loved them live at Oxegen 07 headlining the new bands tent with about 20 people there,
love Cherry Tree,
quite like Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers,
loved them live at Oxegen 08 headlining a packed Pet Sounds tent,
thought the debut was okay.

[Vitalstatistix]

I can't really choose between Alligator and Boxer (their earlier albums for me don't even come close to these two). Two consistently beautiful and engaging albums which took their time to bury underneath my skin. The high points on Alligator are extraordinary, but I agree with Crabwalk that Boxer's production is superior. The drums on that album are out of this world.

Seen 'em at ATP and Green Man and, yes, they kick arse live too.

[easytarget]

The Black Sessions and The White Sessions are tremendous bootlegs and they were quite easy to find last time I checked.

[Vitalstatistix]

New song live on Fallon:

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/clips/the-national-terrible-love-31010/1208058/

booyah


edit - artwork's up on the site too, I likes it.

[actwithoutwords]

New song live on Fallon:

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/clips/the-national-terrible-love-31010/1208058/


booyah

Just had a first watch. The end of that is fucking great. Boxer really lacked some Mr. November style cacophony.
I haven't found myself listening to the National much in the last year or two for some reason, having loved Alligator and, to a lesser degree Boxer at the time. So I'm not as enthusiastic about this new album as I should be. Watching that has started to get me excited though.

[DocDaneeka]

I can't really choose between Alligator and Boxer (their earlier albums for me don't even come close to these two). Two consistently beautiful and engaging albums which took their time to bury underneath my skin. The high points on Alligator are extraordinary, but I agree with Crabwalk that Boxer's production is superior. The drums on that album are out of this world.

Seen 'em at ATP and Green Man and, yes, they kick arse live too.

No love for Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers? Better than Boxer for me.

Anyway looking forward to the new album.

[vrailaine]

That song sounds solid, hasn't got me super excited though.

[Vitalstatistix]

Most of their stuff is 'grower' material, but that new song is very immediate. The drumming is ace and I can see it being killer live. I don't think the whole album will be as loud and cathartic as that, mind.

Doc - Sad Songs is is very good, I've never gotten into it as much as Alligator n Boxer. Maybe I haven't given it enough time?

[Johnny Townmouse]

Most of their stuff is 'grower' material, but that new song is very immediate. The drumming is ace and I can see it being killer live. I don't think the whole album will be as loud and cathartic as that, mind.

Agreed on all counts. I think they have the best drummer in any band right now, which has the effect of defining their sound somewhat. I don't know that they will ever beat Alligator - for me Karen is one of the best songs ever written. Boxer just didn't work for me, but I do love Sad Songs, in particular Murder me Rachel.

They were one of the best bands I have ever seen live, they even dedicated a song to my Wife when I saw them live a few years ago in Leeds. I like that new song a lot, and am looking forward to the album a lot.

[actwithoutwords]

Any talk of the National's best work has to include the Cherry Tree EP as well incidentally. Superb stuff.

[vrailaine]

Any talk of the National's best work has to include the Cherry Tree EP as well incidentally. Superb stuff.

I mentioned it there.

http://stereogum.com/299521/the-national-bell-house-brooklyn-31210/news/
Can't really judge a National album on the basis of some live clips, but it doesn't sound horrible anyways.

[vrailaine]

Blood Buzz Romance off the High Violet website

Can't really judge any songs until the album comes out, Boxer worked that way so my mind feels incapable of making a judgment. I don't wanna listen to them too much before the album comes out, kinda damaged(/still is damaging) Have One On Me.

[actwithoutwords]

Only listened to Bloodbuzz twice but finding it crushingly boring for some reason. Hopefully it grows on me.

[vrailaine]

Only listened to Bloodbuzz twice but finding it crushingly boring for some reason. Hopefully it grows on me.

I think I'd've thought that about just about any song from Boxer(asides from Mistaken For Strangers, obviously) before hearing the album as a whole.

[Vitalstatistix]

Bloodbuzz not as immediate as Terrible Love but still seems to have that anthemic vibe which I'm not completely enamoured with. It works great with this band because they use it sparingly, so I'm hoping the rest of the album isn't trying so hard.

Still optimistic, mind.

[Vitalstatistix]

http://pitchfork.com/news/38478-download-the-new-national-song-afraid-of-everyone-now/

Another track has surfaced, and has me properly excited again. I think it's ace.

[vrailaine]

It's after getting out

[Vitalstatistix]

This has leaked, if anyone's that way inclined.

[vrailaine]

Listened to it twice, really like it... Terrible Love suffered from that thing where you hear a live version first and imagine a specific production style to it and all that makes the song feel slightly underwhelming but yeah, very good.

[Vitalstatistix]

Yes. I wasn't sure at first about the production, especially for Terrible Love. It's pointedly rough around the edges, and they've avoided the whole layered picked guitars thing. It's still very dense, though, and moody.

I love it though! Every listen it just gets better and better. Picking up on different melodies, it's all clicking really nicely, and I can't stop coming back to it.

[vrailaine]

It's perfect for me to study to, maybe on my 20th listen now... I think it might be a better album than the other ones. Alligator was just a batch of very very good songs, Boxer was very much so an album but Mistaken For Strangers both seemed vital to the overall enjoyment of the album while also horribly out of place, this one works incredibly well right through. Delighted.