High violet (of course, at last)

A break from my new compendium-review posts for a very special single-topic post.

The New York Times, according to Wikipedia, has been published since 1851, and has established an internation reputation for the quality of its journalism, being associated with both scoops and scandals over its many years of existence. However, today must forever stand as a particularly proud day in its history, as it begins to stream 'High Violet' by The National, the band apparently having been spurred to do so by the leak of a poor-audio-quality copy of the album on-line.

So, after weeks of waiting, blogging and tweeting, I am now on a train and, while I do not have it in my hands, I very much have it in my ears, my head, and my soul. The link I am listening at is here. Perhaps it is the train, perhaps it is global server demand, but some tracks were much easier and faster to load than others, but it works, thank the lord!

Link also at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/magazine/25national-t.html?pagewanted=2

There is also a very nice extensive article on the band at that site, and another in today's Guardian here. Before I talk about the tracks, I want to comment on how often articles such as these refer to the loyalty of fans of The National, and that is one thing I have noticed very strongly in recent weeks, particularly through monitoring traffic on Twitter in recent days. I have said already that I have never been as keenly anticipating and prospecting (on-line) an album (e.g., through Youtube clips) but I have likewise never been as attuned to the global chatter of those as eagerly awaiting the album as I am. This has all made me realise how these on-line developments can add immensely to the richness and sense of community involved in loving music, which has to be experienced to be believed.


Okay, onto the album quick first reactions, from 1-2 listens each. I am sure emotion will be recollected in tranquility later to allow a more expanded commentary. At times like this I am quite acutely conscious of the limitations to my musical education, not knowing a chord change if it hit me, so what you read are the words of a fan, not an expert.

Overall: actually a bit less loud than I expected (no screaming noted yet!), but similar to me in mood to Boxer, and what a good thing that is. However, 'Runaways' almost stands out as being the quiet one, compared to more like that on 'Boxer', so I guess the album mainly hangs out in the mid-range, but does it really really well. No 'Apartment story' (now my all-time favourite of theirs) yet, but that one didn't register at first either. These albums are always growers, so I could, and quite like will, completely change my mind on the songs below, but it is good to capture the raw data, as it were, the fresh flush of the first listen.

Terrible Love: definetely quieter than I was expecting, but the reference point still most clearly 'Mistaken for strangers'. Vocals distant and, as commented by many, decidedly wierd ('it's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders') but the pick-up in the drums around 2 mins 45 secs is, if not quite as dramatic as in 'Fake empire', pretty cool nonetheless, and the squall of raw guitars towards the end, battling with the punding drums, leads to a very dramatic start to the album (very different to 'Fake empire' or 'Secret meeting', for example).


Sorrow: I bloody love the way Matt sings 'I don't want to get over you'! This does not feel like a National track, but I have yet to decide who it reminds me of. Piano is lovely peeking in here and there through the track (as on many tracks here). Lyrics more conventional than usual, and perfectly fitting the title.


Anyone's ghost: Quite low key, but I like the drumming patterns (predictably enough) and it develops as it goes on in very interesting ways, with nice vocal harmony interplays in my ears as I type this. Not the stongest track, but, as mentioned above, my views may well change is all these songs take hold and build their nests in my head in days and weeks to come.


Little faith: The odd fake intro in the live clips translates into something very strange on album, reminding me for some reason of 'Violator'-period Depeche Mode. Then piano comes in and takes the song off somewhere else completely. References New York, as several of the songs do (it may apparently be 'Lemonworld') and makes several references to playing nuns versus priests until somebody wins, at which the mind can but boggle. The noisy bit comes in for the outro.


Afraid of everyone: Very strange and ghostly atmospherics, with Matt sounding at first like he is singing from a distance in a haunted house. Repetition of the title works very effectively, and one of my favourite vocal performances of the album. Play their classic 'hide the drums for a while and then bleed them in with increasing fury' trick very very well. I also really like the chanting at the end - chanting is a secret weapon they do not use enough, although it can take tracks like this and 'secret meeting' to incredible places.

Bloodbuzz Ohio: Already a firm favourite, which I have previously described as the epic widescreen cousin of 'Guest room', from 'Boxer'. Still reminds me more than anything else on the album of my old favourites like New Order, the Cure and Joy Division, with a very controllled fury of sound gradually building up.


Lemonworld: ah yes, the elusive 'Lemonworld', so hard to track down on Youtube, and from the articles and interviews so hard for the band to agree how to record. Thus the only song on the album so without any pre-conception baggage, and despite thinking how much nicer the apparent previous title 'You and your sister' would have been than 'Lemonworld', it sounds good. Another case of low-key yet insistent and persistent, with nice harmonies, but one of the shorter tracks on the album and the ending kind of snuck up on me unexpectedly. Lyrics more directly intelligible than usual (in common with several other tracks).


Runaway: Clearly the closest to the final trio from 'Boxer', particularly 'Racing like a pro' (perhaps this runaway ran away like a pro?), slow, stately, lovely, but perhaps never going to engage me without Bryan's drumming to keep me racing. The horns are not quite The National either, and I have never been a fan of horns (although they do work when not so noticeable in 'Terrible love'), so not sure about this one yet.


Conversation 16: Starts urgent and edgy, and a cool first line that sounds like 'I think the kid's in trouble'. Nice progression of movements and paces, and good vocal line. Vocals in general clearer and more decipherable on the album than before. Nice fake-out ending after which the song comes back with nice waves of choral background vocals (particularly prominent in the fade-out), and lovely drumming in the later stages.


England: In 'Mr November', Matt sang about how the English are waiting, and now they have got their song. Starts off very piano-led and kind of meanders around for the first while, wth circular motifs and vocals, before taking a dramatic turn towards the end (heralded by some strange horns). The National's song structures have tended to be quite idiosynchractic in the past, with things like choruses and verses not always following any classic logic, but their is a feel on 'High violet' of greater discipline in structure, more logical (if not always traditional or predictable) progression.


Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks: This one has Justin Vernon from Bon Iver on backing vocals, but not very overtly. Another odd-yet-cool opening line - 'Leave your home, change your name' - and an usually hummable and even singable chorus (whatever the hell it may actually be about), with an innate swell and weight which actually makes up for once for the lack of drums.


No doubt whatsoever, a great album (okay, call me biased). That's it for now (train nearly at destination Dublin). Wanted to get this out there, and more will follow.